Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013, what discussions he has had with the Independent Reconfiguration Panel on improving the referral system from local authority health scrutiny committees.

Stephen Barclay: The Department remains committed to ensuring the highest standards of public involvement in, and local democratic oversight of, the development of NHS services. We therefore maintain a regular dialogue with the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP), and other bodies to ensure that our systems and processes support effective scrutiny. The IRP publishes advice and guidance to support local decision making and scrutiny, as well as providing advice to interested parties. Further information can be found on the IRP website.

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support capital investment projects at the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust.

Stephen Barclay: Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust have had two successful sustainability and transformation partnership capital bids. £4 million of Public Dividend Capital was allocated in February this year for the West Norfolk Adult Acute Pathway Transformation scheme. The second bid for £558,000 for a Mental Health Crisis Hub (Crisis Café) scheme was provisionally awarded funding earlier this year, subject to full business case approval. The next step will be for the Foundation Trust to submit their business case to NHS Improvement. In 2017-18, £2.4 million of Public Dividend Capital was allocated to the Trust to fund a range of other capital programmes: £1.7 million for Perinatal Mental Health Mother and Baby Units; £494,000 for Cyber Security; and £210,000 for NHS WiFi Secondary Care Implementation. The Trust has made an application for urgent capital funding in 2018, which has not been granted to date, but will be considered against other urgent applications when further work has been completed on overall NHS capital plans for 2018-19.

Psychiatry: Doctors

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve the recruitment and retention of psychiatry doctors in training at (a) CT1 and (b) ST4 level (i) nationally and (ii) in the east of England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: As set out in ‘Stepping forward to 2020/21: The mental health workforce plan for England’, published in July 2017, Health Education England (HEE) is working with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to address low fill rates at core and higher specialty training experienced in parts of the country, and low direct transition rates from core to higher specialty training. Nationally, this includes offering doctors greater exposure to psychiatry during foundation training, greater flexibility throughout training, and reducing attrition rates. Supported by HEE, the Royal College of Psychiatrists launched the “Choose Psychiatry” campaign in 2017, encouraging doctors to take up psychiatry for their specialty training. Building on the ‘Enhancing Junior Doctors Working Lives’ report, HEE will explore flexibility throughout the training pathway, and work with the College to examine different training options including run-through training. Furthermore, the Government has confirmed 1,500 new medical school places in England, with 630 new places available this September. The allocation of 1,000 of these places was prioritised to universities that can best meet the Government’s objectives, one of which was increasing the number of students who go on to work in psychiatry, with a focus on priority locations including rural and coastal – and included a brand new medical school in Chelmsford.

Psychiatry: Consultants

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve the recruitment and retention of consultant psychiatrists in the east of England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Locally, responsibility for staffing levels, including the recruitment and retention of consultant psychiatrists, rests with individual National Health Service trusts and their boards who are best placed to manage the staff they need to provide a given service. NHS Improvement is working with local trusts such as the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust as part of its Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme. This includes working with Trust Boards and service leaders to consider how flexible working arrangements and promoting staff wellbeing can improve the retention of the psychiatry workforce.

Addictions: Health Services

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to encourage local authorities to provide additional investment into addiction services; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Government has committed £16 billion in funding to local councils over the current five year spending review period to tackle public health issues which includes alcohol and drug treatments. Any decisions on the commissioning of effective drug and alcohol prevention and treatment services are the responsibility of local authorities based on an assessment of local need, however public health grant conditions make it clear that they must have regard for the need to improve the take up of, and outcomes from, their drug and alcohol misuse treatment services.

Cystic Fibrosis: Drugs

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has discussed with NHS England the frequency of its meetings with Vertex Pharmaceuticals in respect of providing access to medicines for cystic fibrosis.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage NHS England to pursue innovative commercial arrangements for medicines for (a) cystic fibrosis and (b) other rare diseases.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on the degree of flexibility that it has in its commercial discussions with manufacturers of medicines for cystic fibrosis and other rare diseases.

Steve Brine: NHS England is fully able to agree flexible, commercial arrangements to make medicines for cystic fibrosis and other rare diseases available on the National Health Service, provided the manufacturer is willing to offer a fair and cost-effective price. In the case of Vertex’s medicines for cystic fibrosis, NHS England has made a highly collaborative and flexible offer, and there are now discussions ongoing with the manufacturer to seek a final agreement. Any deal is not for Ministers to approve, as NHS England rightly make an independent judgement. However, the Department is aware that meetings are taking place and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) and I wrote to Vertex in April following a Westminster Hall debate to encourage the company to work with NHS England on a proposal that represents value to the NHS.

Dental Services: Mercury

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to extend regulations on mercury dental fillings so that their use is prohibited for all dental patients.

Steve Brine: In 2017, European Union Member States adopted Regulation 2017/852 on Mercury, in order to enable the EU’s ratification of the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury. The provisions of this Regulation directly applied to the United Kingdom as a Member State from 1 January 2018. Regulation 2017/852 can be found at the following link: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32017R0852&from=EN There are no plans to introduce new UK legislation to limit further the use of dental amalgam in certain groups of dental patients.

NHS: Finance

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure there is adequate funding for the NHS.

Stephen Barclay: We have already given the National Health Service certainty at the 2015 Spending Review, when we set annual budgets up to and including 2020-21. In doing so, the Government funded the NHS’s Five Year Forward View plan, with a £10 billion a year real terms increase in its budget by 2020-21. As my Rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced in her evidence to the Liaison Committee on 27 March, her intention is to come forward with a long-term plan (in advance of the next Spending Review) for the NHS, supported by a multi-year financial settlement to deliver that plan. The Government will work with NHS leaders, clinicians and experts to develop this long-term plan, to ensure that the NHS can cope with the serious demand and cost pressures it faces in the future.

NHS Blood and Transplant

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the capability of the National Health Service Blood and Transplant to maintain six days supply of blood across all blood groups at all times.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the staffing capability of NHS Blood and Transplant to collect blood in response to urgent calls for blood donations.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS Blood and Transplant on the recent shortage of blood supplies.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), which is accountable to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is responsible for the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood to hospitals in England and associated services to the wider National Health Service. NHSBT aims to retain six days’ supply of blood at any one time. This is in addition to the stock held within hospitals, which is typically five – six days’ stock. Following the poor weather earlier in the year, followed closely by the Easter and May bank holidays, NHSBT’s stock levels of blood groups B negative and O negative have remained around three days. However, there is no shortage of blood and NHSBT has continued to meet hospitals’ requirements. In order to increase, and maintain, stocks for blood groups B negative and O negative, NHSBT has put out urgent appeals for those donors to come forward. It has put on extra sessions and donors are being particularly encouraged to attend one of NHSBT’s 23 donor centres where there are still a number of appointments available. NHSBT regularly reviews its blood donation programme to ensure that the venues, staff numbers and session frequency are all in place to allow the correct amount of blood to be collected to meet patient needs. It has to balance a reduction in hospitals’ demand of blood (around 4% for each of the last few years) against not wasting precious donations by collecting too much blood. As part of ongoing governance and accountability arrangements, officials in the Department meet, and liaise with, NHSBT on a regular basis.

Blood: Donors

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the supply of blood in the groups most prevalent in people from BAME backgrounds.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), which is accountable to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is responsible for the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood to hospitals in England and associated services to the wider National Health Service. Whilst NHSBT can meet hospitals’ demand for blood for people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds by supplying the universal blood group O negative, it is far better for patients to receive blood from the same ethnic background and blood closely matched to their own, particularly for those patients with sickle cell disease who require regular transfusions. NHSBT therefore aims to recruit a significant number of new blood donors from a black African or black Caribbean background each year and has undertaken a number of initiatives to support this goal, such as a campaign with black Christian churches across England, Know Your Type events in high population BAME areas, where individuals can learn their blood type with a finger prick test, and promoting the B Positive choir.

Public Health

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total value was of the public health grant allocated by his Department to local authorities in England in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: The public health grant allocations since the inception of the public health system in 2013/14 are shown in the following table. There was no public health grant to local authorities prior to that time. Financial YearGrant allocation to local authorities £ million2013/142,662.9192014/152,794.8992015/163,031.2362016/173,387.4602017/183,303.9582018/193,219.000 Note:Answers are in £ million, so 2018/19 equates to £3.2 billion.From 2015/16 onwards, the public health grant includes funding transferred to local authorities in respect of children’s 0-5 funding, as responsibility for these services transferred to local authorities during 2015/16. This is the cause of the increase in the value of the grant in 2015/16 and again in 2016/17.The 2015/16 allocation was reduced in-year by £200 million which reduced the grant from an original 2015/16 allocation of £3,231.236 million to £3,031.236 million as shown in the table above.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which part of the NHS is responsible for HIV commissioning for the provision of drugs.

Steve Brine: NHS England holds the direct commissioning responsibility for HIV drugs, and the commissioning of antiretroviral drugs is undertaken by the Specialised Commissioning teams within NHS England.

Prostate Cancer: Research

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled PM to announce new research and funding in drive to fight prostate cancer, published by the Prime Minister's Office on 10 April 2018, whether the £75 million for prostate cancer research funding will be ring-fenced and spent only on prostate cancer research; and whether there are plans to invite bids for research funding restricted to prostate cancer.

Caroline Dinenage: The £75 million announced in April for prostate cancer research will be spent through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) over the next five years. This investment will continue to fund and support innovative new research within the NIHR’s research infrastructure, particularly the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres. It will also fund the NIHR Clinical Research Network to support delivery and recruitment into prostate cancer research and trials funded by partner research funders including charities; and fund prostate cancer research projects and trials under the NIHR research programmes such as the Health Technology Assessment programme. High-quality research proposals on prostate cancer are welcome across all relevant NIHR funding streams. We anticipate that researchers will continue to submit such proposals. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area, such as prostate cancer, is driven by factors including scientific potential and the number and scale of successful funding applications.

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the recruitment of doctors from overseas.

Stephen Barclay: The Government recognises fully the contribution that international doctors working in the NHS make towards delivering the high quality compassionate care we all expect. Health Education England, through its Global Engagement Directorate, is supporting recruitment from overseas into a number of priority professions, including clinical radiology and emergency medicine. In addition, NHS England is aiming to recruit at least 2,000 overseas general practitioners (GPs) into English general practice as part of its wider commitment to an extra 5,000 GPs compared to 2015. The Department continues to work closely with the Home Office to ensure the United Kingdom’s immigration system works in the national interest, bringing in talent where we need it while keeping overall numbers under control.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to eliminate regional variations in the provision of Lynch Syndrome testing for people with bowel cancer.

Steve Brine: Testing for Lynch syndrome has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as important in identifying genetic predisposition to bowel cancer, which could lead to better outcomes for patients through earlier diagnosis and treatment. Whilst Lynch testing is being carried out in some areas, we are aware that the NICE guideline is not being followed by all clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) meaning that some patients and their families are not receiving the test. The NICE guideline does not carry a funding direction and therefore commissioners (CCGs and NHS England) need to consider the implementation of the guidance alongside other priorities and any financial impact on pathology services and genetic testing services. Also, the NICE guidance recommends, but does not mandate, how healthcare professionals should apply the guidance to those diagnosed with bowel cancer. It is for the clinician to take this information into account (alongside individual circumstances and medical history) when determining the best course of action for the patient. NHS England will be working with CCG pathology service commissioners during 2018/19 to determine whether we can jointly develop a policy position relating to genetic testing for Lynch syndrome that takes in to account the NICE guidance and helps to ensure that patients and their families receive the test where appropriate.

Radiotherapy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the £130 million allocated to modernise radiotherapy has been spent on new linac machines for newly commissioned satellite centres.

Steve Brine: The purpose of the £130 million modernisation fund was to upgrade or replace existing, older radiotherapy equipment. None of this funding was therefore spent on new equipment for newly commissioned satellite centres. Future funding decisions, including on new satellite centres, will be made after the fund ends in October 2018.

Life Expectancy

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2018 to Question 134850, what steps his Department is taking to improve healthy life expectancy and life expectancy in the north of England to ensure parity in healthy life expectancy and life expectancy with the south of England.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's Industrial Strategy: Building a Britain Fit for the Future, published on 27 November 2017, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of poor health outcomes in the north of England on that region’s productivity.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Health inequalities are a challenging and complex area - deeply rooted, difficult to turn around and driven by a variety of factors. There is too much variation but smoking rates are at an all-time low and cancer survival rates at a record high. This Government is committed to creating a society where everybody gets the opportunity to make a success of their hard work – regardless of where they are from. Public Health England is working at national, regional and local level to support partners to use tools and evidence when developing action to address inequalities. It has produced a number of data and analysis tools to help places to understand the health of their populations and the issues driving ill health and health inequalities. These include a profiling tool on wider determinants of health, health economics resources and a prioritisation tool to support evidence-based spending decisions. Further information is available at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/wider-determinants The Health Profile for England, published in July 2017 and updated regularly, includes a detailed analysis of patterns and trends in health inequality at national and local levels. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-profile-for-england

Dental Health: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of the 27 April 2018 to Question 137414, what information his Department holds on preventative dental health programmes delivered at local authority level.

Steve Brine: In May 2018, Public Health England (PHE) published a stocktake which reported on oral health improvement programmes, commissioned by local authorities targeting zero to five years old in England. Of the 95% of local authorities who responded, the majority (77%) are commissioning oral health improvement programmes for zero to five year olds. The most commonly commissioned programmes are as follows: training for the wider professional workforce (71%); healthy food and drink policies (57%); supervised tooth brushing in early years and school settings (51%); targeted provision of toothbrushes and toothpaste (46%); integration of oral health into targeted home visits by health and social care workers (44%); local or national government policies used to improve oral health (30%); community fluoride varnish programmes (24%); community water fluoridation (14%) and peer support workers supporting oral health improvement (5%). Further information is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707180/Oral_health_improvement_programmes_commissioned_by_local_authorities.pdf The Department does not hold information on oral health improvement programmes targeting any other age groups.

Cancer: Medical Treatments and Research

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the Government has spent on cancer (a) research and (b) treatment in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). NIHR expenditure on cancer is shown in the following table. Figures for 2017/18 are being finalised. The Government also funds cancer research via other routes including the Medical Research Council. Financial year2012/132013/142014/152015/162016/17NIHR expenditure on cancer£133.2 million£129.9 million£134.7 million£142.4 million£136.8 million NHS England has provided the following information in relation to cancer treatment: The following table shows specialised commissioning treatment costs only.  Specialised Services Expenditure 2013/142014/152015/162016/17Service£ million£ million£ million£ millionCancer services adult2,128.02,687.42,935.23,167.8Cancer services child79.094.0121.9124.1Total cancer spend2,207.02,781.43,057.13,291.9 The following table below shows aggregate clinical commissioning group expenditure on cancers and tumours. Financial YearExpenditure (£000s)2013/142,817,6412014/152,596,2072015/162,756,9132016/172,629,3242017/18Available end 2018

Chronic Illnesses: Prescriptions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the financial effect of prescription charges on people with long-term health conditions.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing prescription charges for people with Cystic Fibrosis.

Steve Brine: We have no current plans to review the list of medical conditions which provide for exemption from prescription charges because arrangements exist to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. A broad range of prescription charge exemptions are in place, for which someone with a long-term condition and cystic fibrosis may qualify. To support those with greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, prescription prepayment certificates are available. A holder of a 12 month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.

Childline

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the role of NSPCC's Childline in the provision of early mental health support; and what steps is his Department taking to support that organisation.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government welcomes the work of the NSPCC’s Childline. The Government supports the NSPCC through an £8 million grant over four years (up to 2020), as a contribution to funding both ChildLine and the NSPCC’s National Helpline, for anyone with concerns or worries about a child.

Hopsitals: Soft Drinks

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the consumption was of sugary drinks in NHS hospitals by volume in 2017.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many chocolate boxes were sold in NHS gift shops in 2017.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many items of fruit were sold in NHS gift shops in 2017.

Steve Brine: NHS England does not hold complete data on the total consumption of sugary drinks across the whole National Health Service. NHS England is currently analysing the sales data from a limited number of trusts collected since July 2017. Trusts and hospital retailers have committed to reduce the sales of sugary drinks to below 10% of total sales and initial analysis suggests this has led to a reduction in sales of sugary drinks and increase in low or zero sugar drinks. Sales data on chocolates or fruit are not held centrally by NHS England. The NHS is committed to improving the nutritional quality of food and drink sold on NHS sites. NHS England has been taking action to improve the healthy choices available to staff, visitors and patients in NHS hospitals through an indicator in the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme. This scheme incentivises NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts and retailers within hospitals to remove foods which are high in fat, sugar and salt from NHS retail premises, prevent the promotion of unhealthy products and increase the healthy options available. The incentive was worth over £30 million in 2017/18.

Department of Health and Social Care: Consultants

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of management consultant fees in his Department in each of the last eight years.

Caroline Dinenage: Expenditure on consultancy services in the core Department, for each financial year since 2010 is shown in the following table. Data for 2017-18 will not be available until this year’s Annual Report and Accounts has been published. Financial YearConsultancy Services (£000’s)2010-1122,2182011-1218,1992012-1327,5082013-145882014-158,6912015-167,6572016-174,485

Speech and Language Disorders: Children

Rebecca Pow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) NHS England, (b) NHS Improvement, (c) Health Education England and (d) the Care Quality Commission on the recommendations of I CAN and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists’ report, Bercow: Ten Years On, published on 20 March 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: Officials from NHS England, the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care, who are in regular contact on policy to support children with speech, language and communication needs, have been in discussion as to how best to respond to the recommendations of ‘Bercow: Ten Years On’, and will be engaging with all relevant organisations to develop a response.

Health Services and Social Services: West Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress is being made on the joining up of the Health and Care systems in West Sussex.

Caroline Dinenage: Like all local areas, West Sussex local authorities and clinical commissioning groups have pooled budgets under the Better Care Fund (BCF) for the purposes of integrated care, and developed BCF plans according to their local needs. All local areas, including West Sussex, have approved BCF plans in place for the current BCF round (2017/18 and 2018/19). The BCF has incentivised collaborative working in local areas. West Sussex, like many other local areas, voluntarily pooled more BCF funds than required. Their local health and care leaders also indicated that the overall delivery of the BCF has improved joint working and integration of health and social care in their area. The National Health Service and local authorities in Sussex and East Surrey are also in the process of developing their Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, which is committed to closer joint working between health and social care.

Carers: Mental Health Services

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the trends the the level of (a)health and (b) wellbeing of unpaid carers; and what plans his Department has put in place to support carers with poor mental health.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS Digital’s Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England is a national survey that seeks opinions of carers aged 18 or over supported by local authorities. In 2016/17 a question was added to the survey to examine the impact on carers’ health. Results showed that nearly 20% of carers reported that in the last 12 months, their health had been adversely affected by their caring role and made an existing condition worse. The carers survey asks a range of questions linked to carers’ wellbeing. Its main overarching measure of wellbeing is carer-reported quality of life. In 2016-17, carer-reported quality of life score was 7.7 out of 12 in England. This is calculated by combining individual responses to six questions asked in the survey on occupation, control, personal care, safety, social participation and encouragement and support of carers. This measure has been falling over time from 8.1 in 2012-13, to 7.9 in 2014-15 to 7.7 in 2016-17. The Department will monitor these figures as a time series develops in future years. The Government is committed to continuing to support carers to provide care as they would wish, and to do so in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing, employment and other life chances. On 5 June, the Government published the Carers Action Plan which sets out a cross-Government programme of targeted work to support carers over the next two years. National Health Service mental health services are available for people with poor mental health, including carers, with the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme providing treatment for adult anxiety disorders and depression in England. One IAPT service for in North Somerset has helped more than 500 carers with therapy and support since launching three years ago. The Carers Action Plan highlights further activity that the Department and its arm’s length bodies are putting in place to improve support for carers who need support with their mental health. This includes Public Health England’s intention to run a national public mental health campaign to help people become informed about factors that may influence their mental health, including being a carer, as well as the recent Green Paper, Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health, which was published in December 2017 and which recognises the mental health needs of young carers.

Obesity: Children

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that the new childhood obesity plan includes steps to increase the promotion and marketing of fruit and vegetables.

Steve Brine: Chapter two of our world-leading childhood obesity plan will set out ambitious actions that we believe will make a real difference. We will be in a position to say more shortly.

Prime Minister

Prime Minister: Correspondence

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Prime Minister, when she plans to respond to the letter from the National President of the Federation of Independent Retailers, Linde Sood, dated 19 March 2018 on monopolistic practices in the newspaper distribution trade.

Mrs Theresa May: A reply has been sent by my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment: Disability

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken in response to the recommendations of the 2017 report of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities relating to its findings on there being a persistent employment and pay gap for disabled people in the UK.

Sarah Newton: This Government is committed to improving employment outcomes for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. We have made a great deal of progress: there were 600,000 more disabled people in work in 2017 than in 2013, and the employment rate for disabled people has improved by 5.6% in the same period. Despite this success, we are committed to going further, which is why in November 2017 we set out our ambition to see 1 million more disabled people in work over the next ten years, as well as the actions we are taking to achieve this goal in the workplace, in health services, and in the welfare system. Estimates from ONS show that, in 2016, the median hourly wage for disabled people was £11.40, compared with £12.20 for non-disabled people. There are a range of factors which could contribute to a difference in median hourly wage – such as working part-time or a difference in occupation. In addition, and to progress the broader agenda for disabled people we will be setting up a new Inter-Ministerial Group to co-ordinate work across Government, and seeking to reinvigorate our engagement with disability stakeholders to help shape our plans.

Access to Work Programme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness and increase take-up of the Access to Work scheme.

Sarah Newton: We will continue to promote Access to Work through our marketing and media activity, building on its success. In 2016/17, the number of people with provision approved rose 8% overall, including 13% rise for deaf people and 15% rise for those with dyslexia, compared to the previous Financial Year. In addition, provision was approved for record numbers of young people (up 26%), people with learning disabilities (up 25%) and people with mental health conditions (up 37%). As part of the on-going campaign, we are targeting key influencers such as employers and health professionals, as well as claimants. We work with stakeholders and advisory groups to raise awareness of Access to Work and have been working with Remploy to promote, and increase take up of the Mental Health Support Service. In addition, our Jobcentre partnership managers continue to engage with local stakeholders and partners to promote the support available. Access to Work is also promoted to a range of business leaders through the Disability Confident scheme.

Work Capability Assessment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to issue revised guidance on work capability assessments.

Sarah Newton: Work Capability Assessment (WCA) guidance is available via the WCA Handbook, available on Gov.uk. This document is reviewed regularly and an updated version will be published during Summer 2018.

Social Security Benefits

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken was to process benefit applications subject to delay due to backlog in the last period for which figures are available; and what assessment she has made of the effect of those delays on the time taken to process (a) cases in which one year's disability living allowance back payment is outstanding one month after a court decision on those payments and (b) other such urgent cases.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not available. However, the statistics that the Department publishes on clearance times, ie for Employment Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment only, can be found in the links below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether additional resources will be allocated to the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman as a result of the increase level of caseload from WASPI complainants.

Guy Opperman: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and is accountable to Parliament through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee for its performance. The DWP plays no part in allocating resources to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Office.

Personal Independence Payment

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Table 8, page 21 of Equality Analysis PIP assessment criteria: Upper Tribunal judgments on daily living activity 3 and mobility activity 1, published by her Department in February 2017, and to paragraph 4.112, page 135, of Office for Budget Responsibility: Economic and fiscal outlook, published on March 2018, for what reason the estimate of the number of claimants affected by the judgment of RF v Secretary of Stat for Work and Pensions has been reduced from 336,500 to 165,000.

Sarah Newton: The previous figure published by DWP was a preliminary estimate of the expected impact of implementing the judgment; we have since updated the analysis with a larger sample. The estimated impacts arising from the later sample were not as large as seen in the earlier, smaller sample. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are an independent body that provides scrutiny of departmental forecasts for fiscal events, including specific costing exercises such as this. OBR chose to publish the later, larger sample of the MH implementation costs, as this is likely to be more representative.

Schools: Asbestos

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many asbestos disturbances in schools have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last five years; and how many (a) children, (b) teachers and (c) non-teaching staff have been affected by those disturbances.

Sarah Newton: The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) require incidents to be reported to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) where the reporter judges that a work activity has caused the accidental release or escape of asbestos fibres into the air in a quantity believed to be sufficient to cause potential damage to the health of any person. Analysis of the RIDDOR reports received by HSE for the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) relevant for schools identifies a number of such reports in each of the last 5 years: YearNo. of reports201734201646201527201428201360 The Regulations do not require the number of school staff and pupils who may have been exposed in incidents to be included within the notification. Many of the reports relate to work undertaken by contractors in schools in areas away from pupils and school staff. Therefore, it is not possible to readily determine potential exposures.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the number of (a) claims for employment support allowance, (b) mandatory re-considerations, (c) mandatory re-considerations that went to appeal and (d) successful appeals of mandatory re-considerations in (i) the UK and (ii) each parliamentary constituency.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Department publishes quarterly statistics on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA): Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments (WCA) which include figures in tables 12 and 13 on mandatory reconsiderations and appeals of WCA decisions. These statistics are not currently available to Country or parliamentary constituency level but DWP statisticians are investigating how to extend the geography information provided. The statistics can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/topics/benefits-statistics

Social Security Benefits: Agency Workers

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost of in-work benefits paid to agency workers employed on Pay Between Assignment contracts, and if she will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: Information on cost of in-work benefits paid to agency workers employed on Pay Between Assignment contracts is not available as we do not record this level of detail.

House of Fraser: Birkenhead

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will allocate additional resources to Birkenhead Jobcentre Plus to support House of Fraser employees whose jobs will be lost as a result of that company's decision to close its store in Birkenhead.

Alok Sharma: DWP offer a Rapid Response Service (RRS). This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when under threat of redundancy. It is co-ordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploy resources according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce. This service is available to be deployed in Birkenhead should a mandatory consultation period end, and a decision is made by House of Fraser about the support it requires from Jobcentre Plus. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers. The range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners may include: Information advice and guidance.Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market).Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised certification that will improve employability.Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or  self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc.For large redundancies we may also provide on-site services to promote jobs or to take benefit claims.On-site presentations to those affected.Jobs Fairs and Job Clubs where appropriate.

Home Office

Visas: Families

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,  how many visa applicants seeking to join a family member in the UK had a DNA test to evidence their relationship to that family member in each year for which information is available; and how many of those DNA tests proved that the relationship between the visa applicant and their family member living in the UK was as they claimed it to be.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not available in Home Office published statistics. DNA tests are not required and if the applicant chooses to submit one it will be considered along with the other evidence submitted to support a visa application.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of EU citizens who will be granted settled status to in the first year of that scheme’s operation.

Caroline Nokes: The EU Settlement Scheme will be a simple and streamlined application process, drawing on existing government data and processes to minimise the administrative burden on applicants. The application process is being built around a presumption to grant rather than refuse, so we expect the majority of the current 3.4m resident EU citizens who will be eligible to apply, to do so and to be granted status. We will launch the Scheme by the end of the year and EU citizens will have plenty of time to apply before the deadline of June 2021.We will be providing further detail on the scheme in due course.

Shoplifting: Lancashire

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change in the number of shoplifting offences in Lancashire over the last two years.

Victoria Atkins: In the Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published in March 2016, we set out the six key drivers of crime – opportunity, character, the effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System, profit, drugs and alcohol. These factors are likely to be relevant to the incidence of shoplifting as they are to other crime types.

Shoplifting

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the merits of the recommendations of the June 2018 report of the Centre for Social Justice, Desperate for a fix: using shop theft and a Second Chance Programme to get tough on the causes of prolific drug-addicted offending.

Victoria Atkins: Drugs can devastate lives, ruin families and damage communities. This Government’s approach to them remains clear - we must prevent drug use in our communities and support people through treatment and recovery. Our Drug Strategy, published in July 2017, sets out a balanced approach which brings together police, health, community and global partners to tackle the illicit drug trade, protect the most vulnerable and help those with a drug dependency to recover and turn their lives around. We will consider the recommendations contained in the report, Desperate for a Fix: Using shop theft and a Second Chance Programme to get tough on the causes of prolific drug-addicted offending, as part of our ongoing work programme.

Shoplifting

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the national retail crime steering group plans to consider new ways to tackle the root cause of shop theft in its upcoming work plan.

Victoria Atkins: As co-chair of the National Retail Crime Steering Group with the British Retail Consortium, it is part of my role to ensure that the Steering Group’s work plan reflects the retail sector’s crime priorities and that the required activity is in place to deliver it.This includes work to reduce shoplifting alongside other crimes that impact on the retail sector. We have discussed different approaches to preventing and tackling shoplifting as part of the work of the Steering Group and this will continue to be a priority.

Domestic Violence

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to its consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to its consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to its consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session

Domestic Violence

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Migrant Workers: Leave

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number migrants working in the UK on Tier 2 skilled worker visas who have had their indefinite leave to remain removed due to exceeding the 20-day annual limit on unpaid leave from work in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number migrants working in the UK on Tier 2 skilled worker visas who have had their indefinite leave to remain removed due to exceeding the 20-day annual limit on unpaid leave from work where strike absence was taken in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Caroline Nokes: Tier 2 migrants who have indefinite leave to remain are not subject to any leave conditions, so cannot have it removed due to undertaking more than four weeks of unpaid leave.

Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has set performance targets for immigration caseworkers on decisions.

Caroline Nokes: Published data on performance against service standards for immigration applications made in the UK and from overseas, and the proportion of those cases classified as non-straightforward, can be found here: (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration)To meet these service standards, case-working functions allocate workload in an appropriate manner and as such there are a number of different objectives and targets in place. These are dependent on the level of experience and seniority of individual caseworkers across the different UKVI case-working routes and also take into account any reasonable adjustments required in order to fulfil our statutory duties under the Equality Act 2010.

Domestic Violence

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Overseas Students and Migrant Workers: Universities

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department issues to universities in respect of their monitoring the whereabouts of international employees and students on sponsored visas.

Caroline Nokes: Guidance for universities on fulfilling their responsibilities towards international employees and students on sponsored visas is available on the UK Visas and Immigration website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sponsor-a-tier-2-or-5-worker-guidance-for-employers and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sponsor-a-tier-4-student-guidance-for-educators respectively.Information on the number of foreign members of staff and students reported to UK immigration authorities for failing to declare their attendance and time spent off campus is not collated on Home Office systems in a manner which can be reported on, and to do so could only be achieved at disproportionate cost by examination of thousands of records.

Visas: Married People

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the earnings threshold for the Spouse Visa does not take into account differences in livings costs for different areas in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: The minimum income threshold of £18,600 for sponsoring a non-EEA national partner to come or remain here applies across the UK. The level of the income threshold, which aims to prevent burdens on the taxpayer and promote integration, was set following advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee and reflects the income at which a family settled here generally cannot access income-related benefits.The Committee, in its November 2011 report, could see no clear case for differentiation of the income threshold between UK countries and regions and noted several arguments against such an approach. These included that a family living in a wealthy part of a relatively poor UK country or region could be subject to a lower income requirement than a family living in a deprived part of a relatively wealthy one. The Government agrees with that assessment and applying a single minimum income threshold across the UK has been found to be lawful by the courts.

Domestic Violence

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to (a) respond to the consultation on and (b) publish the Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill announced in the Queens Speech on 21st July 2017.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Asylum: LGBT People

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2018 to Question 150775 on Asylum: LGBT People, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the experimental statistics on asylum claims on the basis of sexual orientation; and whether his Department has plans to include those statistics in future regular statistical releases.

Caroline Nokes: Home Office statisticians continue to review the quality of data on asylum claims on the basis of sexual orientation in line with National Statistics protocols, and intend to update the published statistics in due course.On top of this, guidance around the use of the sexual orientation identifier has been issued since 2013 and will be reviewed in due course as part of a wider review into asylum instructions.

Domestic Violence

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Asylum: LGBT People

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2018 to Question 150775 on Asylum: LGBT People, which (a) stakeholders (b) organisations and (c) individuals his Department consulted on the new instruction on Gender Identity and Expression that will replace the instructions on Gender Identity and  handling asylum claims where a Gender Recognition Certificate is presented.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office has actively sought the contributions of a wide range of stakeholders in developing its guidance on Gender Identity and Expression. These include Stonewall, the UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group and Asylum Aid, as well as legal experts including the Trans Equality Legal Initiative (TELI).We expect to publish the new instruction later this year.

Domestic Violence

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Domestic Violence

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

Migrant Workers: Doctors

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for Tier 2 visas for doctors to work in Wales were (a) accepted, (b) rejected and (c)  pending in each of the last five years.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for Tier 2 visas for jobs in Wales were (a) accepted, (b) rejected and (c) pending in each of the last five years; and in which sectors those applications were for.

Caroline Nokes: The available information on applications and outcomes (i.e. grants, refusals, withdrawn and lapsed cases) of entry clearance visas in the ‘Tier 2 & pre-PBS equivalent’ category are published quarterly in ‘Immigration Statistics’, Visas data tables volume 1, table vi_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018/list-of-tables#visas.Neither a breakdown by profession, or applications and outcomes by region of employment, is available in the published entry clearance visas data.

Migrant Workers: Visas

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for visas under Tier 2 were made in each month in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: Information on Tier 2 entry clearance visa applications broken down by outcome (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed) is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018.

Domestic Violence

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to it's consultation on the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that Bill.

Victoria Atkins: On 8 March we launched a 12 week public consultation on proposals for a landmark domestic abuse Bill and a supporting package of practical action to transform the response to domestic abuse. The consultation closed on 31 May. Over 3,200 responses to the consultation were received. The responses to the consultation are being considered and a draft Bill will be published later this session.

*No heading*

Joanna Cherry: To ask the Minister for the Home Office, what guidance the Government is providing to EU nationals on registering for settled status before the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: The settled status scheme for resident EU citizens and their family members will open for voluntary applications in late 2018. They do not need to apply for settled status before the UK leaves the EU, and will have until 30 June 2021 to do so.The application system will be streamlined, user-friendly and draw on existing government data to minimise the burden on applicants to provide evidence.We will publish further details in advance of the scheme opening including comprehensive guidance on procedures for applying and eligibility criteria. We have recently launched a targeted communications campaign using a variety of media to ensure that EU citizens are aware of any updated information and over 200,000 have subscribed to a mailing list to receive regular updates. We are also holding four, monthly user group meetings with representatives of EU citizens and their employers to seek input in to the design of the scheme and provide further information about its progress.

Northern Ireland Office

Official Visits: Northern Ireland

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the title of the document that governs the protocol which should be observed by Irish officials visiting Northern Ireland is; and if she will place in the Library a copy of that protocol document.

Karen Bradley: There is no protocol which the officials of other Governments should follow when visiting the United Kingdom. There is therefore no protocol which should be observed by Irish officials visiting Northern Ireland.

Treasury

Customs Declaration Services Programme

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding has been allocated from the public purse to HMRC to implement the Customs Declaration Service.

Mel Stride: HMRC has been provided with sufficient funding to undertake the work required on the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) to date. By the end of March 2018, HMRC had been allocated and spent £104 million. Funding for future years will come from a mixture of 2015 Spending Review funding agreed by HM Treasury for CDS and funds allocated to HMRC to ensure the department is prepared for exiting the European Union.

Publications: VAT

Sir David Amess: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the public purse of equalising at zero the VAT rate for e-publications and print publications; and if he will make a statement.

Sir David Amess: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the public purse of reducing the rate of VAT on on e-books, digital newspapers and magazines and other e-publications; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: Under EU law, a standard rate of VAT must be applied to e-publications. Although Member States are discussing a legislative proposal to allow the application of a zero rate of VAT to e-publications, this is yet to be agreed.

London Stock Exchange: Foreign Companies

Sir Mike Penning: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has asked the Financial Conduct Authority to review its processes to ensure that companies seeking listings on the London Stock Exchange which are subject to (a) US and (b) EU sanctions are investigated on national security grounds; and if will he make a statement.

John Glen: Sanctions of third countries do not affect whether companies should be allowed to float on the London Stock Exchange. We impose sanctions, either unilaterally or through the EU, when we have sufficient evidence to prove that sanctions on a person or company satisfy the purposes of the regime in question. Any company that is subject to relevant EU sanctions will not be allowed to list, and these sanctions additionally prevent designated persons from being the beneficiaries of the proceeds of a listing. This is also true for persons that are listed under a UK autonomous sanctions regime.

Merchant Shipping: Tonnage Tax

Karl Turner: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, how many merchant ships owned by members of the UK Chamber of Shipping qualify for the Tonnage Tax scheme.

Mel Stride: It is not possible to identify the type of vessel used by each company qualifying for Tonnage Tax or those who are members of the UK Chamber of Shipping from the data held by HMRC.

En+ Group

Sir Mike Penning: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2018 to Question 132483 on En+ Group and with reference to recent information released by the US Treasury, what checks he has made to ensure that major shareholders pass the test of fit and proper persons on national security grounds; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: There is no such test of fit and proper persons on national security grounds under applicable legislation. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) requires that the appropriate regulator be notified before the acquisition of or increase in control over a UK authorised person. The regulator then assesses whether to approve or object to the acquisition by reference to specified criteria in the Act. There is no role for HM Treasury to consider or supplement the regulator’s assessment.

Roadchef: Employee Benefit Trusts

Neil Gray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if we will meet with the Chief Executive of HMRC to discuss the outcome of the recent meeting with Roadchef Employee Benefits Trust on 14 May 2018; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mediation to resolve that dispute.

Mel Stride: The administration of the tax system, including where appropriate the repayment of tax or duties, is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs. It would not be appropriate for Treasury Ministers to become involved in the administration of the tax system in specific cases.

Court of Directors

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the membership of the committee that recommended the appointment of Bradley Fried to the position of Chair of the Court of the Bank of England.

John Glen: The Advisory Assessment Panel in this appointment process consisted of Tom Scholar (Permanent Secretary - HM Treasury), Charles Roxburgh (2nd Permanent Secretary - HM Treasury), Diana ‘Dido’ Harding (Non-Executive Director – Bank of England) and Lynne Peacock (Non-Executive Director – Nationwide Building Society). Details of the panel were made publicly available online at gov.uk.

Tax Avoidance

Theresa Villiers: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will respond to Early Day Motion 1239, on the 2019 Loan Charge.

Theresa Villiers: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC is taking to provide people affected by the 2019 Loan Charge provisions set out in the Finance Act 2017 with an extended time to pay their additional tax liabilities.

Theresa Villiers: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC is taking steps to investigate the promoters of the avoidance schemes covered by the 2019 Loan Charge provisions of the Finance Act 2017.

Mel Stride: The 2019 loan charge is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid via a third party in the form of ‘loans’ which in reality were never repaid – ‘disguised remuneration’ (DR) schemes. The Government has taken this action to ensure that everybody pays the taxes they owe and contribute towards the public-funded services from which they benefit. Early Day Motion (EDM) 1239 calls for the loan charge to apply only to DR loans entered into after Finance Act 2017 received Royal Assent. Restricting the loan charge in this way would not be fair to ordinary taxpayers, who have always paid the right amount of tax and have not engaged in tax avoidance schemes. The Government recognises that the loan charge will have a significant impact on some people who have used DR schemes. HMRC is encouraging scheme users to come forward and settle their tax affairs ahead of the loan charge arising. HMRC has a strong track record in helping those who are in genuine financial difficulty. HMRC is able to agree bespoke payment arrangements, allowing individuals to pay their tax bill over time. HMRC pursues those who promote or enable tax avoidance schemes to ensure that nobody profits from selling avoidance. HMRC is able to charge tough penalties of up to £1m where promoters do not provide clear and accurate information to their clients, and penalties of 100% of the fees earned by anyone who designs, sells, or otherwise enables the use of tax avoidance arrangements. HMRC is proactively reporting DR scheme promoters to the Advertising Standards Authority and professional bodies where they make misleading claims about their products and services or provide misleading advice. HMRC will also consider criminal investigation where appropriate. Promoters of tax avoidance schemes have been prosecuted, leading to convictions and jail terms.

Cash Dispensing: Older People

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment  of the effect on older peoples free access to cash of LINK’s proposed cuts to the ATM interchange fee.

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the number of free to use ATMs in areas of (a) urban and (b) rural deprivation.

John Glen: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. Government has been engaging and will continue to engage with the regulators and industry, including LINK, to ensure that it is maintained. At Spring Statement, Government also launched a public Call for Evidence on cash and digital payments which, amongst other things, seeks to find out how cash usage and need varies by demographics. The Government established the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) in 2015 with a statutory objective to ensure that the UK’s payment systems work in the interests of their users. As part of this, the PSR is monitoring developments within ATM provision. The PSR recently commissioned work to understand the impact on the provision of free-to-use ATMs that a reduction in interchange fees may have. A summary of the findings can be found on their website at this link: https://www.psr.org.uk/psr-focus/the-uk-atm-network/atm-impact-study. The Government has therefore not made its own assessment of the impact. The PSR have also set out three requirements of LINK: that LINK must maintain the current geographical spread of ATMs; that any changes made to interchange fees must be incremental to allow LINK to monitor the impact and take action if the impact is not as expected; and for a greater focus on LINK’s financial inclusion programme, to continue to fill gaps in the network. The PSR has committed to using its powers to act should LINK behave in a way that conflicts with its statutory objectives.

Living Wage

Jo Stevens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of employers who were found to have been paying below the national living wage but not prosecuted in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Mel Stride: The government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) receives it. HMRC does not hold separate data for National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage. As referenced in UIN 136268, the ‘National Living Wage’ is a rate for workers aged 25 and over which was introduced in April 2016. HMRC always takes action to ensure workers receive what they are entitled to. In 2015/16, 958 employers were identified as paying below the NMW. In 2016/17, 1134 employers were identified as paying below the NMW, of which two were prosecuted for underpayment of NMW. Breaches of NMW legislation are normally a civil matter, consequences for not complying with paying NMW can include fines of 200% of the arrears and public naming. Criminal prosecution is reserved for the most serious non-compliance. The most serious NMW breaches and cases that form part of wider criminality will be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service who decide whether to prosecute.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Charities: Bullying and Harassment

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Minister for the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what safeguards are in place to protect volunteers employed in the charity sector from workplace bullying and harassment.

Tracey Crouch: The Government expects charities to take robust action against any bullying and harassment relating to employees or volunteers.Charity employees have some protection in law under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 from detrimental treatment or victimisation from their employer if, in the public interest, they report concerns about serious wrongdoing at their charity to the Charity Commission, provided that the concerns they report meet the conditions in the Act for a ’protected disclosure’. There are other mechanisms for volunteers to report such concerns to the Charity Commission, although they are not covered by the Act.Government, regulators and the charity sector are working together to reaffirm the importance of safeguarding as a governance priority for charities, and to agree and commit to actions jointly and individually to strengthen the safeguarding capability and capacity of charities working across the UK. The Charity Commission has already announced a suite of measures to help ensure charities learn the wider lessons from recent safeguarding cases revelations involving Oxfam and other charities, and to strengthen protection from harm for charity beneficiaries, employees and volunteers. This includes a review of its whistleblowing processes and guidance.

Office for Civil Society: Staff

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many permanent members of staff have been assigned to the Office for Civil Society in each year since it was established.

Tracey Crouch: The Office for Civil Society has been part of DCMS since the Machinery of Government change on 21st July 2016. The number of OCS staff on permanent contracts in each of the last two years is as follows:31 March 2017 - 6431 March 2018 - 52 In addition to those on permanent contracts, as at 31 March 2018, 37 additional staff were employed on a combination of fixed term contracts, loan and secondments. DCMS does not hold records for before the Machinery of Government transfer.

Third Sector: Finance

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much and what proportion of the Local Sustainability Fund has been spent.

Tracey Crouch: The Local Sustainability Fund supported around 260 small and medium size charities and social enterprises to strengthen their organisations and help secure the future of their services. Grant holders project’s came to an end in June 2017. The total spend was £18.7 million. An evaluation was published in January 2018, which found that 94% of recipients reported improvement in the ‘strength, sustainability and resilience’ of their organisation. Improvements were reported in a range of areas including governance and leadership, strategic thinking and planning, income diversification and confidence and self-belief.

Charities: Finance

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his Department's press release, Government unlocking £330 million from dormant accounts to build a fairer society, published on 8 January 2018, how much of the £330 million recovered from dormant accounts has been distributed to charities.

Tracey Crouch: We announced in January 2018 that £330m from dormant accounts would be distributed to good causes across the UK over the next four years. We are currently working with partners to design the initiatives in such a way that they have a lasting impact for some of the most vulnerable people in the country. We expect to make further announcements shortly about the initial deployment of this funding in England. Decision making for deploying dormant asset funds in the devolved administrations is fully devolved.

Charities: Fund Raising

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many places have been provided on the small charities fundraising training programme in 2018.

Tracey Crouch: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has commissioned the Foundation for Social Improvement to deliver a two-year subsidised fundraising training programme for small charities. 1562 training opportunities have been provided so far in 2018. A total of 5162 training opportunities will be provided by the end of the programme in March 2019.

Charities: Fund Raising

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much was raised by the Fundraising Regulator's levy on charity fundraising in each year for which figures are available.

Tracey Crouch: The Fundraising Regulator is the independent regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was established in July 2016 by the charitable sector, with support from Government, following a cross party review of fundraising self regulation. Its creation aimed to strengthen the system of charity regulation and restore public trust in fundraising. Charities that spend more than £100,000 a year on fundraising pay a voluntary levy to fund the regulator. Its most recent published accounts for the period ended 31 March 2017 show levy income of £1.524m for the 2016-17 financial year.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the effect on the Government's industrial strategy for the offshore wind industry of the employment of non-EEA crew on offshore wind construction and maintenance vessels in UK territorial waters; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Department has been working closely with the Home Office to develop a time-limited concession, outside of the Immigration Rules, requiring offshore wind construction and maintenance vessels in UK territorial waters to bring themselves into compliance with the rules on the employment of non-EEA crew on offshore wind construction and maintenance vessels in UK territorial waters.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to encourage an increased level of employment of domestic workers on offshore wind construction and maintenance vessels in UK territorial waters.

Claire Perry: Our policy has always been to maximise the economic and employment benefits to the UK from our support for offshore wind.

Electricity and Natural Gas: Regulation

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and which (a) electricity and (b) gas supply companies are registered with Ofgem.

Claire Perry: As of December 2017 there were a total of 69 domestic energy supply companies registered by Ofgem. This included 7 supplying gas only, 5 supplying electricity only and 57 supplying both electricity and gas. A full list of licenced electricity suppliers can be found here:https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/list-all-electricity-licensees-registered-or-service-addressesA full list of licenced gas suppliers can be found here:https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/list-all-gas-licensees-registered-or-service-addresses

Advertising: Equality

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will seek a commitment by major retailers, service providers and organisations to use more people with a visible facial difference in their advertisement campaigns.

Andrew Griffiths: We regularly engage with businesses and organisations across all sectors including major retailers. However, advertising campaigns are a matter for individual companies, all of whom should be aware of the UK’s discrimination laws and best practice in terms of diversity. It is not appropriate for Government to intervene in what is a commercial matter for the businesses and organisations concerned.

Independent Industrial Strategy Council: Public Appointments

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how the (a) chair and (b) members of the Industrial Strategy Council are to be appointed.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what remuneration members of the Industrial Strategy Council will receive.

Richard Harrington: We expect the council’s membership to be multidisciplinary and include leading business men and women, investors, economists and academics from across the country. The Chair and members will be invited to participate on a personal, voluntary and unpaid basis.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals for an energy price cap in the Tariff Cap Bill on the roll-out of smart meters.

Claire Perry: The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill is clear that Ofgem must take into account an efficient supplier’s ability to finance its activities. This would include the roll out of smart meters, which is a requirement of their supply licence.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to set an allowance for energy suppliers under the proposed energy price cap to reflect the cost of delivering the smart meters implementation programme.

Claire Perry: The Domestic Gas & Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill places a duty on Ofgem to set a temporary price cap on standard variable and default tariffs. On 25th May 2018, Ofgem published a consultation, “Default Tariff Cap: Policy Consultation Overview” in which they propose a methodology for the treatment of smart metering costs under the tariff cap.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how his Department calculated the £1.50 per customer allowance for the cost of the smart meter roll-out to energy suppliers in the pre-payment meter price cap.

Claire Perry: The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) investigated the retail energy market and found there to be a number of concerns that there market was not competitive for a majority of consumers. Among CMA’s orders and remedies they set a restriction of the amount that could be charged to pre-payment meter customers by an order (the PPM cap). The CMA set the PPM cap after consultation with the energy sector industry and other stakeholders suppliers.

Life Sciences: North of England

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's Industrial Strategy: Building a Britain Fit for the Future, published on 27 November 2017, what progress his Department has made on delivering a northern Sector Deal in life sciences with (a) the Northern Health Science Alliance and (b) other partners named in that strategy.

Andrew Griffiths: As articulated within the Life Sciences Sector Deal published in December 2017, we have committed to working regionally with the established clusters of life science organisations including the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA), and BEIS officials are working them to progress this.

Electric Vehicles

Mrs Kemi Badenoch: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the quantum of national electricity demand arising from the predicted increase in the number of electric cars between 2018 and 2040.

Claire Perry: In National Grid’s 2017 Future Energy Scenarios, electric vehicles could potentially increase peak load on the electricity system by up to 10GW by 2040 under their highest impact scenario. National Grid say that this can be reduced to around 5GW by 2040 if the charging by electric vehicles is managed through smart charging. Therefore, the Government is taking powers as part of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill to mandate that all charge points sold or installed in the UK must be ‘smart’ enabled. This will enable consumers to shift charging away from the peak demand periods, benefitting the electricity system and lowering their electricity bills.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2018 to Question 136631, how many SMETS2 gas meters have been successfully installed and connected to the DCC.

Claire Perry: The rollout of smart meters is making good progress, with over 400,000 meters being installed every month and 11 million meters operating at the end of March 2018, helping consumers to save money and better understand their energy use. As of the end of May 2018, industry information showed there were just over 1,000 gas and electricity SMETS2 meters connected to the DCC system. Energy suppliers are continuing to test their systems ahead of a controlled ramp up of SMETS2 meters in the coming months.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2018 to Question 137413, on energy: meters, for what reasons the data are not directly comparable.

Claire Perry: The installation cost estimates published in the 2016 Cost-Benefit Analysis were based on historic and projected costs provided by energy suppliers, and were expressed in 2011 prices. The latest cost estimates provided by energy suppliers are likely to only show costs to date, for an individual supplier, and be presented in current prices. They are therefore not directly comparable.

Innovation and Research

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 89 of the Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish an International Research and Innovation Strategy.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Industrial Strategy White Paper announced the development and publication of a new International Research and Innovation Strategy in 2018. The Strategy will further set out our desire to build on the UK’s long tradition of international collaborations in research and innovation across all fields and our openness to international talent. We are currently working in partnership with UK Research and Innovation to develop this strategy.

Research: Finance

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to Answer of 11 December 2017 to Question 117396 on Research: Finance, what the timetable is for the new Strategic Priorities Fund to be operational.

Mr Sam Gyimah: UK Research and Innovation have set out the objectives of the Strategic Priorities Fund in its Strategic Prospectus, published in May 2018. The Strategic Priorities Fund will: drive an increase in high-quality multi- and interdisciplinary research and innovation; ensure that UKRI’s investment links up effectively with Government departments’ research priorities and opportunities; and ensure the system is able to respond to strategic priorities and opportunities. Further details on the operational timetable will be set out in due course.

Artificial Intelligence: Research

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 39 of the Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made on supporting additional PhDs in AI and related disciplines.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Artificial intelligence is a vital technology for the future of our economy; it will also help us tackle big societal challenges, from delivering clean growth to helping people live longer, healthier lives. As part of our AI sector deal, we will create 200 additional PhDs in AI and related disciplines per year by 2020-21, with at least 1,000 Government-backed PhD places at any one time by 2025. The first 200 additional PhDs have already been funded.

Boilers: Government Assistance

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's press release, New measures to beat plague of nuisance calls, published on 30 May 2018, whether his Department plans to accept liability for cold calling used to promote the Government's boiler scrappage scheme.

Claire Perry: The Government does not currently operate a boiler scrappage scheme.

Tidal Lagoons Independent Review

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made in publishing its response to the Hendry Review on giving certainty to proposals such as the offshore tidal lagoon on the Solway.

Claire Perry: A response to the Hendry Review into the strategic case for tidal lagoons will be published shortly.

Agency Workers: Conditions of Employment

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the time-frame is for the Government to respond to its consultation entitled Good work: The Taylor Review of modern working practices on the recommendations relating to agency workers.

Andrew Griffiths: The consultation closed on 9 May and the Government thanks all respondents for their valuable input on these important and complex issues. The Government is currently analysing the responses received and will be responding in due course.

Space Technology

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement by the hon. Member for East Surrey of 11 June 2018 on the Competitiveness Council 28-29 May 2018 and the Council's policy debate on the future of European space policy, whether the Minister persuaded member states to allow the UK to continue to be a member of the (a) Galileo, (b) Copernicus and (c) other EU space programmes in the event that the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As I set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 11 June 2018, we would like the UK to continue our full involvement in the EU space programmes. As is the case more widely, we need to get the right agreements concluded which will allow the UK and its businesses to take part on a fair and open basis. We will continue to discuss this with our EU colleagues and aim to reach an agreement that works for all sides.

Parental Leave

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 29 July 2018 to Question 137053 on Parental Leave, whether the Government has now commissioned the survey data referred to; and whether the review will consider the eligibility criteria for shared parental leave for people in (a) new employment and (b) self-employment.

Andrew Griffiths: We have started the evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay schemes and expect to be in a position to publish the findings of the evaluation in the Spring of 2019. The evaluation will consider the barriers to parents taking Shared Parental Leave and Pay and how the schemes are being used in practice - including by self-employed mothers who qualify for Maternity Allowance. Whilst we are not planning to review the eligibility criteria at the current time, as part of the evaluation we will be speaking to range of stakeholders, including groups who are lobbying Government to extend parental entitlements to the self-employed.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government Finance

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to local authorities who have seen recent  increases in the number of homes in multiple occupancy to help pay for local services.

Rishi Sunak: Over the five year period from 2015-16 to 2019-20 councils will have access to more than £200 billion of non-ring fenced revenue funding, and it is for local authorities to determine how to spend this and other sources of income on the services that they provide.Local authorities already have powers through the planning system to control the proliferation of houses in multiple occupancy if they have concerns about the cumulative impact on their locality. From October we are extending mandatory licensing to protect more private tenants from poor housing conditions and overcrowding in houses of multiple occupation. Councils will be able to charge for the costs of administering this scheme.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many responses have been submitted to his Department's consultation on unauthorised Traveller encampments to date.

Dominic Raab: The consultation will close on 15 June at 11.45pm, however, currently we have received over 1,600 responses to the Unauthorised Development and Encampments consultation.

Grenfell Tower

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which organisation has responsibility for managing the (a) oversight and (b) demolition of Grenfell Tower and the surrounding site.

James Brokenshire: Doug Patterson, Chief Executive of the London Borough of Bromley, on behalf of London Resilience, chairs the independent Site Management Group that brings together public authorities with specific responsibilities to ensure the health and safety, security and on-going investigations on the Grenfell Tower site. No decision has yet been taken on whether, and if so when, the Tower will be deconstructed.

Non-domestic Rates: Tax Allowances

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the recipients of business rates relief.

James Brokenshire: The Department collects information about the amount of relief awarded by local authorities. The National Non Domestic Rates 1 (NNDR1) statistical return collects information about the value of forecast relief for the forthcoming financial year and the National Non Domestic Rates 3 statistical return collects information on the value of outturn reliefs for the financial year just passed. The NNDR1 Supplementary form collects information about the number of recipients of business rates reliefs. These data are published on the Department's website at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-non-domestic-rates-collected-by-councils

Grenfell Recovery Taskforce

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what meetings he or officials in his Department have had with the Grenfell Recovery Taskforce since 1 May 2018.

James Brokenshire: Ministers and officials meet and speak regularly with the Independent Grenfell Recovery Taskforce to support their work in both challenging and supporting the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; and providing assurance on the Council’s capacity and capability to deliver a recovery strategy.

Ministry of Defence

MOD St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions officials in his Department have had with the (a) Defence Infrastructure organisation and (b) Defence College of Technical Training on the re-signing of the lease at MoD St. Athan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Officials from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and the Defence College of Technical Training, both part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), meet regularly to explore future arrangements for MOD leases at MOD St Athan.

MOD St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with the Secretary of State for Wales on re-signing the lease for MoD St. Athan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There is regular engagement between Ministers and officials in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Wales Office on defence matters in Wales. The future arrangements for leases at MOD St Athan have been discussed as part of this engagement.

MOD St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with with the (a) Defence Intelligence Organisation and (b) Defence Technical College on re-signing the lease by the Welsh Government of MoD St Athan.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Defence Intelligence Organisation and (b) Defence Technical College on continuing security arrangements at MoD St Athan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Officials within the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) are taking forward engagement on the future arrangements for leases at MOD St Athan on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD).The MOD recognises the need for civilian companies and contractors to access the St Athan Business Park. The DIO and other MOD officials, including representatives from the Defence College of Technical Training, continue to hold regular meetings to identify mutually acceptable security arrangements at MOD St Athan.

Veterans: Social Security Benefits

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on improving ex-service personnel's access to support, benefits and work.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I regularly meet my counterpart from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to discuss these issues. Veterans' access to support, benefits and work is being considered as part of the Veterans Strategy. The strategy is owned by the Ministerial Covenant and Veterans Board of which the DWP are members, and is co-chaired by the Defence Secretary. The DWP already have Armed Forces Covenant champions in each Job Centre Plus district and veterans' employment levels are on a par with national averages, and better for those Service leavers who use the Ministry of Defence's Career Transition Partnership.

Military Intervention

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2018 to Question 138368 on military intervention, how many cases where lethal force has been used by UK forces outside of armed conflict Parliament has not yet been notified of.

Mark Lancaster: None.

Warships: Crew

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many qualified and experienced personnel positions are (a) required and (b) vacant in (i) Type 23 and (ii) Type 45 ship crews.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested, as at 11 June 2018, is shown below.  Required PositionsVacant PositionsType 231,580120Type 4579045 All numbers over 100 are rounded to the nearest 10 with numbers ending in five rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid bias. Numbers under 100 are rounded to the nearest five. None of the existing vacancies is in a post categorised as safety critical and no ship would go to sea without the minimum required complement of suitably qualified and experienced personnel. The figures are a snapshot taken from the Joint Personnel Administration System and are accurate as of 11 June 2018. It should be noted that the number of vacant positions can fluctuate on a given day and do not reflect any future plans to fill, i.e. if a person was given an Assignment Order to fill a gap at any time in the future, including the day after the report was processed, the post will still show as a gap. The number of Required Positions (workforce required as of today) for a RN ship fluctuates depending on the operational tasking, readiness state or when in refit.

Army: Recruitment

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer on 1 June 2018 to Question 134413, on Army Recruitment, if he will update the spreadsheet detailing paid advertisements on Facebook between 2015 and 2017 to include the target cities and regions for each advertisement where such locations were specified.

Mark Lancaster: As advised in the answer I provided the hon. Member on 1 June 2018 to Question 134413, information on Social Media advertisements is not held centrally and is provided to the Department by an external contractor. The additional detail requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Syria: Military Intervention

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will launch an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the death of a serving member of the UK armed forces in Syria on 29 March 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Government will not provide any additional information on the circumstances surrounding the death of Sgt Matt Tonroe at this time.

AWACS

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the UK’s sustainment strategy is for the UK AWACS capability beyond 2035.

Guto Bebb: As part of the Modernising Defence Programme (MDP), we are considering options to ensure the UK has an AWACS capability beyond 2035. Further details will not be available until the full conclusion of the MDP.

NATO: Military Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the UK’s aerospace and defence industry is informed of NATO's planned alliance future surveillance and control capability.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to support a transatlantic consortium bid of US and UK defence companies to compete for any NATO Alliance Future Surveillance and Control programme contracts.

Guto Bebb: The NATO Alliance Future Surveillance and Control Programme was initiated following the 2016 Warsaw Summit and is currently in the second year of its Concept Phase. The Ministry of Defence has been fully engaged with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), the organisation that has been charged with delivering the Concept Phase. The NSPA have been proactive in their engagement with Industry to ensure the technological feasibility of the capability being developed.

Army: Recruitment

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of  6 June 2018 to Question 150731 on Army: Recruitment, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) regular and (b) reserve applicants reaching Phase 1 training (i) between the average and high time in days and (ii) between the minimum and average time in days in each year since 2012.

Mark Lancaster: It will take further time to analyse the relevant information to respond. I will write once this process is complete and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Challenger Tanks

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Challenger 2 tanks have been purchased by his Department; how many of those tanks have been subsequently disposed; and by what method those tanks were disposed.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence has purchased 386 Challenger 2 tanks plus 22 driver training tanks based on the Challenger 2 chassis. Of these, 80 have been disposed of through commercial means.

European Fighter Aircraft

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Eurofighter Typhoons his Department plans to purchase; and how many of those fighters are Tranche (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 variants.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence has contracted for 160 Typhoon aircraft in three tranches:Tranche 1-53Tranche 2-67Tranche 3-40

Type 23 Frigates

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total projected cost is of the Type 23 frigate capability upgrade programme; how many of that class are planned to receive an upgrade; and what capabilities will be enhanced as part of that programme.

Guto Bebb: The Type 23 capability sustainment programme will deliver equipment upgrades, depending on the requirement of each ship in the class. This will ensure that these adaptable Frigates continue in service.With regards to the cost of this programme, this draws together a number of capability enhancements and the information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Regarding detail of the upgrades, it is UK policy that we do not comment on matters relating to individual warship capability as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Department for International Trade

World Trade Organisation

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress has been made on the submission of agreed trade schedules with the World Trade Organisation.

Greg Hands: It is the Government’s intention to have our own independent World Trade Organization (WTO) schedules ahead of leaving the EU. Our transition at the WTO continues to move forward. The appropriate legal mechanism for our goods transition remains rectification. We want to minimise disruption to existing trade and we will act in accordance with WTO rules and procedure. The joint letter we sent with the EU to the WTO membership in October 2017 provides the detail of our proposal. On services, the UK continues to engage on the detail of our draft schedule. We are committed to retaining our existing commitments. We have also begun the process to independently accede to the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) by formally submitting a market access offer.

Iron and Steel: Imports

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK steel industry of the trend in the amount of steel imported to the UK from non-EU sources since the beginning of 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The pattern of UK steel imports since 2018 varies significantly product by product. In the first quarter of 2018, the volume of UK steel imports from non-EU countries was 658,000 tonnes. The volume of UK steel imports from non-EU countries in the first quarter of 2017 was 680,000 tonnes. This was a 3.2 percent decrease.

Iron and Steel: Dumping

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to implement measures to prevent steel dumping.

Greg Hands: Trade remedies are currently under EU competence while we remain a Member State. It is for industry to demonstrate prima facie evidence of dumping that is causing material injury to EU producers, to the European Commission. We encourage industry to present such evidence to the Commission. Where evidence is sufficient to justify an investigation, the Commission will do so and present any proposals for imposing duties to Member States.The UK is committed to a rules based international trade system and is in the process of establishing the Trade Remedies Authority to ensure that UK businesses continue to be protected from unfair and injurious trade practices once we leave the EU.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Finance

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the (a) administrative and (b) programme budget was for the Government Equalities Office in each year since 2010.

Victoria Atkins: The funding received by GEO in respect of Administrative and Programme budgets since 2010 are as detailed below: YearAdministration budget (£m) 2010-119.52011-127.42012-138.42013-14 6.42014-153.82015-163.32016-173.02017-184.62018-195.3 YearProgramme Budget (£m)2010-116.22011-127.02012-139.12013-1411.02014-15 10.72015-16 11.02016-179.82017-189.6* (See note below)2018-19 9.8 *GEO was allocated an additional £10m in the budget for the Centenary (£5m) and Returners (£5m) projects. These projects are approved for spend over financial years 2017-20.

Department for Transport

Gatwick Express Railway Line

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the meeting with the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion on Monday 4 June 2018 and his commitment to consider the concerns of constituents, what discussions he has had on passenger demands for the restoration of Gatwick Express services from Preston Park Station; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: There are no plans to reintroduce Gatwick Express services from Preston Park because the current range of services provides more trains for passengers than before the timetable change. Prior to 20 May there were 3 Gatwick Express and 3 Southern services to Victoria in the morning peak. Now there are 7 Southern services into Victoria with similar and slightly quicker journey times. The current service pattern is based on the position set out in Govia Thameslink Railway’s public consultation into the new timetable.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of vehicles using the Dartford Crossing; and to what extent that crossing is (a) meeting and (b) exceeding its operational capacity.

Jesse Norman: The performance of the Dartford Crossing is continually monitored. The design capacity of the Crossing is 135,000 vehicles per day. The average number of vehicles that used the Dartford Crossing per day in 2017 was 156,978.

Air Space

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he makes assessments of airspace governance and management in other countries when formulating UK policy.

Jesse Norman: When developing airspace policy, both the Government and the Civil Aviation Authority have regular engagement with other countries, including through membership of various international bodies such as our permanent representation on the International Civil Aviation Organisation. In addition, The Department also routinely monitors how airspace matters are managed abroad and it is are always keen to learn any relevant lessons that can be applied to UK policymaking.

Motor Vehicles: Fuels

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of whether (a) premium diesel and (b) premium petrol (i) prolong engine life and (ii) increase fuel efficiency in motor vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: I refer the hon Member to the answers I gave on 29 November 2017, to Questions UIN 114805 and 114806.

Locomotives: Steam Engines

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many steam locomotives are operating services in the UK on (a) mainline and (b) heritage railway lines; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The department does not hold this information.

Aviation: Noise

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the timetable is for the appointment of a Head Commissioner for the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The recruitment process to appoint a Head Commissioner for the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise is under way, and an announcement will be made as soon as an appointment is confirmed.

Luton Airport

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the proposed Luton Airport airspace changes Luton 26 BPK RNP1 SID; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: This proposed airspace change is being considered under the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) CAP 1616 airspace change process. Progress can be monitored on the CAA’s website at the following link entitled “London Luton – departure procedures”:http://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-industry/Airspace/Airspace-change/Decisions-from-2018/London-Luton-Departure-Procedures/ At present, the expectation is that the airport might consult on this proposal next summer.

Air Routes

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what current routes by (a) route origin and destination, (b) airline carrier and (c) notified date of route closure have been flagged by airlines in accordance with the voluntary early warning system as set out in paragraphs 25 to 28 of his Department's Guidance on the Protection of Regional Air Access to London, published on 19 December 2013.

Jesse Norman: The three routes currently under Public Service Obligations (PSOs), were originally flagged using voluntary early warning system. These comprise the Londonderry to London Stansted airport, operated by BMI Regional from May 2017, Dundee to London Stansted airport, operated by Logan Air from June 2014, and Newquay to London Gatwick airport, operated by Flybe from October 2014. No other route has been flagged under the voluntary early warning system.

Leeds Bradford Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with British Airways on its plans to reduce Leeds Bradford Airport routes to London Heathrow; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Ministers have not had any discussions with British Airways on this matter. Whilst officials have discussed this matter with Leeds Bradford airport and British Airways, routes are a commercial agreement between the airport and the airline.

Leeds Bradford Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using a Public Service Obligation to safeguard the Leeds Bradford Airport routes that British Airways announced changes to in January 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: It is for the relevant regional body to make the case for a PSO to the Department, against the criteria set out in the Government’s guidance on protecting regional air access to London, in relation to 1008/2008. The Department has not received representations to this effect.

Regional Airports

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what legal agreements are in place between his Department and Heathrow Airport Limited to guarantee existing routes between London Heathrow and regional airports; what (a) routes and (b) regional airports those agreements include; and for how long those agreements have legal force.

Jesse Norman: There are currently no legal agreements in place between the Department for Transport and Heathrow Airport Limited to guarantee existing routes between London Heathrow and regional airports. However, the Secretary of State has a clear ambition for around 15 per cent of slots made available from a new runway to be used for domestic routes. We expect that the majority of these routes will be commercially viable with support from Heathrow Airport Limited. The Government will also take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations (PSOs). This will include ring fencing appropriately timed slots. Further detail on the Government’s targets and commitments on domestic connectivity will be detailed in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy which will be published towards the end of 2018.

Regional Airports

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which of the then new regional air routes by airlines to be supported through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund, announced by his Department on 2 December 2015, are still in operation at the frequency set out in the respective airline’s accepted application.

Jesse Norman: Of the 11 routes to be supported through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund announced on 2 December 2015, services are still in operation on two routes and continue to receive financial support. These are routes between Newquay and Leeds-Bradford airports and between Norwich and Exeter airports. The Newquay / Leeds Bradford service now operates at a frequency of 4 daily returns per week compared to an original plan of 5 daily returns per week in the summer and 3 daily returns per week in the winter. The Norwich / Exeter service now operates at a frequency of 4 daily returns per week compared to an original plan of 7 daily returns per week in the summer and 4 daily returns per week in the winter.

Airports: Security

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of airside security passes issued for UK airports in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2017-18.

Chris Grayling: The total number of airport identification cards (“airside passes”) held by UK airports is in the region of 230,000. The Department for Transport does not hold information on the numbers of airport identification cards issued by financial year. The number of airport identification cards held at any one time or at any one airport is not static and may change on a daily basis. The issue and management of airport identification cards is a matter for each airport operator to handle in line with regulatory requirements outlined in the National Aviation Security Programme.

High Speed Two: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff worked for HS2 Ltd in each of the last eight years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The total number of staff directly employed by HS2 Ltd in each of the last eight years is as follows: Financial YearNumber of Direct HS2 Staff2010 - 2011242011 - 2012422012 - 20131782013 - 20143802014 - 20155272015 - 20169182016 - 201712492017 - 20181346 These figures show the number that were employed in each financial year. It varies slightly from published figures contained in the Annual Report and Accounts and the Corporate Plan as this table only includes Employees, Graduates and Apprentices and is not net of people who have left in the Financial year.

Northern: Standards

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains scheduled to stop at (a) Garswood station, (b) Newton-le-Willows station and (c) Earlestown station have been cancelled as part of Northern’s recently imposed emergency timetable; and which of those cancelled services were replaced with a rail replacement bus service.

Joseph Johnson: Services at Earlestown and Newton-le-Willows are currently running an amended timetable due to planned engineering works. There are no cancellations directly attributed to the 4th June emergency timetable. Garswood still has a twice per hour service in each direction but there is a rail replacement bus service from Huyton currently, due to planned engineering works into Liverpool.

Northern: Standards

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains scheduled to stop at Rainford station have been cancelled as part of Northern’s recently imposed emergency timetable; which of those cancelled services were replaced with a rail replacement bus service; and whether it is his Department’s policy that a rail replacement bus service should charge the same fare as the service it is replacing.

Joseph Johnson: The 4th June emergency timetable has reduced Rainford’s Mon-Sat train numbers from 18 in each direction to 15. How many cancelled services have been replaced by a bus is an operational matter for Northern. It is established practice in the rail industry that the same fares are charged when rail replacement bus services are in use.

Heathrow Airport: Construction

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the total financial liability to the Government of the construction of a third runway at Heathrow.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total liability to the public purse is of the proposal to expand Heathrow Airport.

Jesse Norman: The Government is clear that the construction of the Northwest Runway at Heathrow will be financed entirely by the private sector. There is no financial liability to Government and no agreement with HAL that gives rise to a right to claim for damages, losses, liabilities, costs and/or expenses or any other relief. The Government is also absolutely clear as to its responsibilities to Parliament when a liability or, indeed, a contingent liability is incurred. On 5 June, the Government laid before Parliament a Written Ministerial Statement and Departmental Minute that set out a contingent liability for statutory blight which will be incurred if the proposed Airports NPS is designated. The liability is contingent because the Government has rightly protected the tax payer by entering into a binding agreement with Heathrow Airport Limited whereby the airport assumes the financial liability for successful blight claims, if the scheme proceeds.

Regional Airports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the appropriate level of subsidy required to support connections to regional airports from an expanded Heathrow Airport.

Jesse Norman: The Government is clear that the expansion at Heathrow is not only an opportunity to protect and strengthen existing routes but to secure new domestic routes to the benefit of passengers and business across the UK. The Government expects that the majority of these routes will be viable commercially, as many are today, with support from Heathrow Airport. This support includes discounted charges for domestic passengers, and a £10 million Route Connectivity Fund. The Government will also take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations (PSOs). PSOs provide the opportunity to offer exclusive rights to airlines to operate a route. Where this does not deliver the required level of connectivity, the Government may also offer subsidies to an airline to operate the route, which includes exemption from Air Passenger Duty. The Government’s approach to domestic connectivity will be set out in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy towards the end of this year, and the extent to which subsidies will be required can only be determined subject to market conditions nearer to the time of new capacity becoming operational.

Heathrow Airport: Construction

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with HM Treasury on the size of the financial contribution required by Government to support rail access schemes into an expanded Heathrow Airport.

Jesse Norman: The Secretary of State has regular discussions on a variety of matters with HM Treasury. In line with the 2013 Aviation Policy Framework, and the proposed Airports National Policy Statement, where a surface transport scheme is not solely required to deliver airport capacity and has a wider range of beneficiaries, the Government, along with relevant stakeholders, will consider the need for a public funding contribution alongside an appropriate contribution from the airport on a case by case basis.

Regional Airports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many slots will be guaranteed for connections to regional airports in the UK as a result of the expansion of Heathrow airport.

Jesse Norman: The Secretary of State has a clear ambition for about 15 Per cent of slots made available from a new runway to be used for domestic routes. We expect that the majority of these routes will be commercially viable with support from Heathrow Airport Limited. Government will also take action, where appropriate, to secure routes through the use of Public Service Obligations. This will include ring fencing appropriately timed slots. Further detail on the Government’s targets and commitments on domestic connectivity will be detailed in a Green Paper on the Aviation Strategy which will be published towards the end of 2018.

Railways: Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effects of the May 2018 timetable changes on rail services (a) on the Brighton line, (b) at Haywards Heath Station and (c) at East Grinstead Station.

Joseph Johnson: The service provided on Thameslink services since the start of the new timetable has been unacceptable. It is the Department’s number one priority to restore reliability on these routes. This includes the routes mentioned, from the Brighton main line and East Grinstead to London Bridge and Blackfriars. Once the timetable has stabilised, passengers from Mid Sussex will begin to see the benefits brought by this change. This includes new direct peak-time services from East Grinstead through the Thameslink Core and additional capacity from Haywards Heath into London Victoria and the Thameslink Core.

Aviation: Carbon Emissions

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for his decision on whether to accept the Committee on Climate Change’s planning assumption that carbon dioxide emissions from aviation should be around 2005 levels by 2050.

Jesse Norman: The Government is currently developing its Aviation Strategy which sets out to achieve a safe, secure and sustainable aviation sector. As part of the development of the Aviation Strategy, the Government is considering what action can be taken to support growth while the tackling any adverse environmental effects. This includes putting in place a framework for UK aviation carbon emissions to 2050, which ensures that aviation contributes its fair share to action on climate change, including the UK’s domestic and international obligations. The Government will be publishing a Green Paper for public consultation at the end of 2018 and the White Paper, Aviation Strategy in 2019.

Aviation: Carbon Emissions

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish the effective policy framework for aviation emissions recommended by the Committee on Climate Change in its 2015 progress report to Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The government is currently developing its Aviation Strategy which sets out to achieve a safe, secure and sustainable aviation sector that meets the needs of consumers in a global, outward-looking Britain. As part of the development of the Aviation Strategy, government is considering what action can be taken to support growth while tackling environmental impacts. This includes putting in place a framework for UK aviation carbon emissions to 2050, which ensures that aviation contributes its fair share to action on climate change, including the UK’s domestic and international obligations. We will be publishing a Green Paper for public consultation at the end of 2018 and the final White Paper, Aviation Strategy in the first half of 2019.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

British Indian Ocean Territory: Ilois

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many Chagossians have been invited to participate in scientific expeditions to the Chagos Archipelago in 2018 to date.

Sir Alan Duncan: Although we encourage scientific expeditions to include participants of Chagossian heritage, no Chagossians have been invited to participate in scientific expeditions to the British Indian Ocean Territory in 2018 to date.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Ilois

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Chagossians have participated in any conservation, enforcement, or science work in the Chagos Islands area as envisaged by his Department's 2015 consultation paper.

Sir Alan Duncan: Since 2012 eight people of Chagossian heritage have visited the British Indian Ocean Territory for scientific or conservation purposes. ​

British Indian Ocean Territory: Ilois

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that scientific organisations granted permission to work in the British Indian Ocean Territory include Chagossian participants.

Sir Alan Duncan: We encourage scientific groups to include Chagossians and participants from the wider Indian Ocean region in expeditions to the British Indian Ocean Territory and we are looking at ways to promote further opportunities to Chagossians.​

Aviation: Ukraine

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to the Dutch government investigation into Flight MH17 and the origin of the missiles that brought down that flight.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK has offered its full support to the work of the Joint Investigation Team to investigate the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17. We will continue to cooperate with the Netherlands and Australia in their efforts to deliver justice for the victims of this tragedy, and are fully supportive of their request for Russia to accept state responsibility for its role in the crash.

Sanctions: Russia

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what fiscal steps his Department are taking to align UK sanctions policy with US sanctions policy in relation to the Russian Government and its agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is committed to playing a leading role in continuing sanctions against Russia. Sanctions are one of a range of measures we have taken, in concert with others, to defend our security and enhance our capabilities against the escalation in Russia's malign activity. The UK's current legal powers to implement sanctions flow largely from the EU, but we are engaged with our EU, US and other G7 partners to maintain our proactive stance to develop and implement sanctions.

Eritrea: Human Rights

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to raise human rights with the Eritrean Government in order to ensure that the new Eritrean citizens are protected from a loss of rights as a result of the agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea over the relocation of Badme to Eritrea.

Harriett Baldwin: There has to date been no agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea on the process by which the town of Badme will transfer from Ethiopian to Eritrean control, in line with the 2000 Algiers Agreement. We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Eritrea, and will continue to support the rights of all Eritreans.

Nicaragua: Human Rights

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had and with whom to seek to (a) prevent human rights abuses taking place in Nicaragua and (b) promote the right to peaceful protest in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the situation in Nicaragua. Our Embassy in Costa Rica, which is accredited to Nicaragua, has been following developments closely. The UK was part of EU messages of condemnation and the British Ambassador to Nicaragua released a statement on 5 June calling for an end to the violence. He urged the authorities to protect human rights and thoroughly investigate all human rights abuses.The Head of Latin America Department met the Nicaraguan Presidential Advisor on International Relations and Policy on 29 May and 5 June to deliver the same messages.For stability to return, the inclusive national dialogue promised by the authorities should resume under peaceful conditions, with full respect for freedom of expression. We have been clear on both points with the Nicaraguan Government.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on the flow of humanitarian aid through Hodeidah port.

Alistair Burt: We are in constant contact with the Coalition about the campaign in Yemen, as part of our diplomatic effort to find a solution which brings political stability to Yemen and ends cross-border threats to Yemen's neighbours. On Hodeidah, we have set out clearly international concerns on the importance of maintaining the flow of humanitarian supplies. I discussed this with my Saudi counterpart over the weekend. The Coalition have made clear that they recognise the humanitarian imperative and are prioritising the humanitarian response.We are now doing everything we can to work with the UN, non-governmental organisations and the Coalition to respond to humanitarian needs in the days ahead.We continue to urge all parties to facilitate access for essential imports of food, fuel and medical supplies into the country including through Hodeidah port.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in the Hodeidah region in Yemen; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​It is crucial that humanitarian and commercial imports continue to flow through Hodeidah and Saleef ports, which service the vast majority of Yemen's food needs. We urge all parties to facilitate access for essential imports of food, fuel and medical supplies into the country including through Hodeidah port. As in all aspects of the conflict, all parties must respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians.

Department for International Development

Africa: EU Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what role her Department plans to play in the European Union's Trust Fund for Africa after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made a commitment to continued participation in the EU's Trust Fund for Africa after the UK leaves the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the European Commission on continued participation in the EU Trust Fund for Africa after the UK leaves the EU.

Alistair Burt: The Department for International Development discusses the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa with the European Commission on a regular basis. The UK and the EU have agreed that the UK should continue to participate in the Trust Fund until its conclusion in 2020. That agreement is explicitly reflected in the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Article 148). The Trust Fund’s Constitutive Agreement makes clear that non-EU donors can participate fully in the governance of the Trust Fund, with voting rights in its Board and Committees. The Government intends to continue to play a full role in the Trust Fund until its conclusion.

Syria: Overseas Aid

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's spending in Syria is spent in areas held by the Government or forces loyal to the Assad regime.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s focus in Syria is on helping those most acutely in need and we have extensive controls in place to ensure that UK aid does not benefit the Assad regime. In 2017/2018, our partners operating from Damascus delivered 31% of DFID’s spending in Syria. The majority of that aid was delivered to those most in need living in regime-held areas. A small proportion was also delivered from Damascus to hard-to-reach and besieged areas held by the opposition.

Department for Education

English Language and Mathematics: GCSE

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the cost to 16-19 education providers of delivering resits in GCSE (a) English and (b) maths in each financial year since 2014-15.

Anne Milton: Holding answer received on 11 June 2018



Securing good standards of literacy and numeracy increases individual productivity, improves employment opportunities, and supports economic growth. From September 2013, all 16-19 year old students have been required to follow a study programme which since August 2014 has included a requirement, as a condition of funding, to continue the study of mathematics and English if the student does not already hold a GCSE grade 4 or above. Students with prior attainment of grade 3 enrol on GCSE courses; all other students may enrol on a range of courses to help them make progress in these subjects, including GCSEs or Functional Skills. The Department for Education has not made estimates of the costs to providers of delivering specific examinations. Rather, 16-19 education providers are funded for the overall study programmes that students take. These programmes include the provision of mathematics and English, where required. In 2015, we made a commitment to maintaining the 16-19 base rate at current levels until 2020. In addition to regular study programme funding of which mathematics and English provision is a part, in November 2017 we agreed to invest a further £40 million to help education providers improve basic mathematics teaching over the next five years.

Pupil Numbers

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on how many children are currently enrolled in a formal education setting.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes information on the number of pupils and students enrolled in schools, further education and higher education in the annual ‘Education and training statistics for the UK: 2017’ statistical release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-and-training-statistics-for-the-uk-2017.

Schools: Uniforms

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support his Department provides to low-income families in England in relation to the cost of (a) school uniforms, (b) sports kits and (c) uniforms for (i) cadets, (ii) scouts and guides and (iii) out of school sports teams.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will hold discussions with his Welsh counterpart on the potential merits of providing funding to cover the cost of (a) school uniforms (b) sports kits and (c) uniforms for (i) cadets, (ii) scouts and guides and (iii) out of school sports teams for low income households.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department is in constant engagement with its Welsh counterparts.A school’s governing body (or academy trust, in the case of academies) is responsible for making decisions about school uniform, including the PE kit.Local authorities have discretionary powers to provide grants to assist parents with the cost of school uniform in cases of financial hardship and academies are free to do similar. Individual schools may wish to consider running schemes to provide assistance with the cost of uniform.The department’s guidance on school uniform is clear that schools should give high priority to cost considerations. The guidance is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.Decisions on uniform for optional extra-curricular activities are the responsibility of the relevant organising body. The Ministry of Defence provides uniform for those participating in the Cadet Expansion Programme.

Department for Education: Staff

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in his department are currently working on the consultation into the future of children's centres.

Nadhim Zahawi: As of 31 May 2018, there were 17.2 FTE members of staff in the Department’s Early Years Group working in the Quality, Outcomes and Providers team, which is the team responsible for children’s centres. Other staff members in the department also contribute to the early years policy as part of their work, however, the numbers for this are not held centrally.

Department for Education: Staff

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in his Department are working in the early years policy sector.

Nadhim Zahawi: As at 31 May 2018, there were 81.2 full-time equivalent members of staff working in the Department for Education’s Early Years Group, working on and supporting early years policy. Other staff members in the department also contribute to early years policy as part of their work.

T-levels

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students who complete the early years T-level will be licensed to practise within early years settings.

Anne Milton: We recognise that to work in an early years setting, a practitioner must hold a full and relevant early years qualification that has been approved by the Department for Education. When developing the Early Years T Level, we will make sure that it aligns to the Early Years criteria and will enable a student to practice within an early years setting.

T-levels

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students who have completed the early years T-level will count towards an early years setting's Level 3 ratio when employed by that setting.

Anne Milton: Students who have completed the Early Years T Level will count towards an early years settings level 3 ratio. When developing the T Level, we will make sure that it aligns to the Early Years criteria which will allow a practitioner to be included in the ratios.

Children and Young People: Hearing Impairment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 146815, what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in local authority specialist education services on support to (a) deaf children in early years, (b) deaf children at school and (c) deaf young people over the age of 16.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department is firmly committed to ensuring that children with special education needs and disability (SEND), including hearing impairments, receive the support they need to achieve in their early years, at school and college. The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced new provisions for supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities from birth until the age of 25, including those with sensory impairments, to ensure a joined up approach across the system. The focus of the reforms is on early identification of needs and a clear legal responsibility on education settings and local authorities to identify and address special educational needs, and the introduction of Education, Health and Care plans for those that need them. It is for local authorities to determine how they allocate their resources to effectively meet the needs of their residents, including the provision of specialist services for the children and young people with a hearing impairment. However, to enable local authorities to provide services for those young people who have needs that are less common we are encouraging authorities to work together on such provision. For example, if one local authority does not have many young people with a hearing impairment they might work together with a neighbouring local authority and share the cost of providing services or resources. For the early years, in April 2017 we introduced a Disability Access Fund, (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-business-sustainability-guides-for-providers/extra-sources-of-income-for-early-years-providers), worth £615 per child, and local authorities are also required to have a SEN Inclusion fund to support children in getting the best from the free childcare entitlements. Our National Funding Formula (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-national-funding-formula-allocations-and-guidance), has an additional needs factor directing more funding to local authorities with more need.

Special Educational Needs: Visual Impairment

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of education services for visually impaired children.

Nadhim Zahawi: We want all children, no matter what their special educational need (SEN) or disability, including those with visual impairment, to be able to reach their full potential and receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. That is why we have put in place the significant reforms, through the Children and Families Act 2014, which introduced Educational, Health and Care plans for those that require them, and a real focus on outcomes and transition to adult life. The supporting statutory guidance, the special educational needs and disability (SEND) Code of Practice, (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25), makes it clear that all children and young people with special educational needs and disability, including those with visual impairment, must be supported to achieve the good outcomes they deserve. The framework of core content for Initial Teacher Training sets out that providers should ensure that trainees are equipped to identify the needs of all pupils, and make provision for them, including seeking the advice of colleagues with specialist knowledge and experience. Teachers should be able to recognise signs that may indicate SEND, and support common educational needs through review of their teaching, making adjustments to overcome any barriers to progress and ensuring that pupils with SEND are able to access the curriculum. We have recently announced £3.4 million funding over 2018-2020, for the SEND schools’ workforce contract, which will be delivered by the Whole School SEND consortium, led by the National Association for Special Educational Needs. The SEND schools’ workforce contract aim is to embed SEND within the school led system of School Improvement in order to equip the workforce to deliver high quality teaching across all types of SEND. The programme of work will: drive education institutions to prioritise SEND; equip schools to identify and meet their training needs in relation to SEND; build the specialist workforce and identify and respond to any gaps in the training and resources available to schools.

Free Schools: Closures

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools have closed in each academic year since 2010-11, and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: There are currently 393 free schools open. Since 2010, eight free schools have closed. Academic yearFree school closures2013/1412014/1532015/1612016/173Total8 The primary objective of the department when making a decision to close a school is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for pupils and to secure value for money for the taxpayer.

Free Schools: Closures

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish a list of the free schools that have closed since 2010-11; and how many children were on the roll of each of those schools at the time of those closures.

Nadhim Zahawi: There are currently 393 free schools open. Since 2010, eight free schools have closed and one closure is planned for summer 2018. They are listed in the attached table.The primary objective of the Department when making a decision to close a school is to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for pupils and to secure value for money for the taxpayer.



152194_Free_School_Closures_by_Academic_Year
(PDF Document, 105.25 KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Biodiversity

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent permanent staff of his Department are allocated to working on (a) preparations and (b) negotiations for the post-2020 framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

David Rutley: There are approximately three to four full time equivalent permanent Defra staff, plus employees of Defra delivery bodies, working on preparations for the post-2020 framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Of these approximately two full time equivalent permanent staff are involved in negotiations.

Renewable Energy: Farms

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with energy providers on promoting renewable energy use on (a) rural and (b) urban farms.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State and other Ministers have not had any recent discussions with energy providers about promoting renewable energy use on rural or urban farms. The Countryside Productivity Scheme offers grants to eligible rural and urban farms for equipment that would enable more efficient use of on-farm generated renewable energy. Grants are available to go towards the costs of purchasing equipment such as electrical battery storage systems and heat distribution networks. The Rural Community Energy Fund provides funding for feasibility studies for rural communities to develop, own and generate their own energy.

Food

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions officials in his Department have had with officials in other Departments on ensuring the sustainability of the UK food sector after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Defra is working closely with all relevant Government departments on our departure from the EU. Ministers and officials regularly liaise with colleagues across Government on food sector issues, including HMRC, Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade, the Food Standards Agency and others.

Food

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that a comprehensive food security strategy will be in place when the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Food is one of the UK’s 13 critical infrastructure sectors and Defra produces an annual Sector Security and Resilience Plan working closely with industry sectors.The UK has a high degree of food security, as demonstrated by the 2010 UK Food Security Assessment. It is a comprehensive analysis of all aspects of food security, including household food security. It draws on a wide range of indicators which are updated with varying frequency that we monitor on an ongoing basis. We have just commenced a review of the overall assessment. Leaving the EU provides us with a major opportunity to set up new frameworks for supporting our farmers to grow more, sell more and export more great British food. We will work with all those who have an interest in the future of food and farming as we develop a new approach that works for our industry.

Tractors: Children

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many children have taken part in the tractor driving for 13-15 year olds course in each of the last three years.

George Eustice: Tractor driving courses for 13 to 15 year olds are delivered by private training providers. Information on the number of children that have participated on these courses is unavailable because Defra does not collect data on these courses.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) entry level and (b) higher level Stewardship payments remain outstanding for (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and whether his Department has set a date for all such outstanding payments to be resolved.

George Eustice: A table containing the requested information can be found below. Defra has recently approved additional recovery actions and we now expect Environmental Stewardship advanced and final payments to be substantially completed by mid-August 2018 and mid-October 2018 respectively. Claim periodSchemePayments dueClaims withdrawn or rejectedPayments completePayments outstanding2016 end of yearELS22,23413721,976121 HLS13,9785012,988940  2017 mid-yearELS11,53414011,117277 HLS13,1901428,2664,782  2017 end of yearELS11,5301179,0812,332 HLS13,146151,88911,242

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential cost to the public purse of the UK not agreeing a deal with the EU.

Suella Braverman: We do not want or expect a no deal outcome. However, a responsible government should prepare for all potential outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached.The Government is undertaking a wide range of analysis and preparatory work, across a range of scenarios, that will contribute to our exit negotiations with the EU, to define our future partnership with the EU, and to inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks.DExEU is working with all departments, including HM Treasury, to make sure that our preparations for exit and our new partnership with the EU are on track.We have been clear the Government will not provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work.

Portsmouth Port

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if (a) he or (b) officials in his Department will visit Portsmouth to meet with representatives of Portsmouth International Port to discuss the effect on trade at that port of the UK leaving the EU.

Suella Braverman: Ministers from across Government have carried out an extensive ongoing programme of engagement on EU exit - with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and in all parts of the UK. In January 2017, Lord Bridges visited Portsmouth and attended a roundtable with local businesses to seek their perspective. Ministers have also met with representatives from a range of UK ports and will continue to engage ports throughout this process.

Attorney General

Sentencing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, what plans he has to extend the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

Jeremy Wright: Whilst in the vast majority of cases sentencing judges get it right, the ULS scheme is essential in ensuring that victims, family members and the public are able to request that sentences they think are unduly lenient can be reviewed.The Government re-committed in our manifesto that we will extend the scope of the scheme. As a first step, an extension of the scheme to further terrorism offences came into effect last August.

Sentencing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, how many people have applied for sentences to be reviewed under the unduly lenient sentence scheme in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Wright: Approximately 2,347 people have applied for sentences to be reviewed over the last 12 months. A total of 1040 sentences have been referred to my office for consideration as unduly lenient.

Sentencing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, how many applications under the unduly lenient sentence scheme have been rejected due to falling outside the remit of that scheme in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Wright: 354 applications under the unduly lenient scheme have been rejected as they did not fall within the remit of the scheme. 30 applications would have been in the scheme but were received outside the statutory time limit of 28 days from sentence.

Sentencing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, how many sentences referred to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme were (a) increased and (b) kept the same in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Wright: In the 12 months from May 2017 to April 2018, of the sentences which were referrred to the Court of Appeal and have been heard, 116 were increased and 39 remained unchanged. 15 have yet to be heard.

Wales Office

MOD St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has held with the (a) Defence Infrastructure Organisation and (b) Defence Technical College on the re-signing of Welsh Government lease at MoD St Athan.

Stuart Andrew: I have regular discussions with Ministers and officials at the Ministry of Defence on defence matters relating to Wales, including MOD St Athan. My officials also have regular discussions with their counterparts including joint quarterly meetings with the Welsh Government regarding MOD St Athan. These meetings include attendees from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Defence College of Technical Training representatives from No. 4 School of Technical Training who are based at MOD St Athan.

MOD St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for Defence on the re-signing of the Welsh Government lease of MoD St Athan.

Stuart Andrew: I have regular discussions with Ministers at the Ministry of Defence on defence matters relating to Wales, including MOD St Athan. My officials also have regular discussions with their counterparts, including joint quarterly meetings with the Welsh Government regarding MoD St Athan.

Ministry of Justice

Bail

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance is provided to prisoners on (a) applying for and (b) the rules on bail.

Rory Stewart: The majority of bail information services are delivered at Court and provide factual, verified information to the Court to assist in deciding whether there are grounds to release a defendant on bail rather than remand them in custody. The bail information provided by prisons is in addition to that which is provided at Court. The National Probation Service also provide Bail Assessment reports when asked to do so by the Court. The Department’s focus is on ensuring applicants access to the relevant information at the court stage of the process.

Indictable Offences

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will assess the merits of having indictable-only offences being heard directly in the Crown Court, without commencing in Magistrates Courts.

Lucy Frazer: The Prisons and Courts Bill, which was introduced in the last Parliament but fell when the General Election was called, included a measure removing the need for defendants charged with indictable-only offences to appear before a magistrates’ court simply to be told that they were being sent to the Crown Court to be tried. Instead, the Bill would have allowed such defendants to be notified in writing (including online) of their being sent to the Crown Court for trial. Although all offences would continue to commence in the magistrates’ court there would no longer be the need for a defendant charged with an indictable-only offence to first appear before that court, unless it was necessary for another reason, such as (for example) determining the defendant’s remand status. The Government introduced the Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Bill in the House of Lords on 23 May 2018 and, as the Justice Secretary announced at the time, the Government will be bringing forward other courts measures from the Prisons and Courts Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Prison Officers

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the staffing ratio of prison officers to prisoners has been in (a) England and (b) Wales in each year since 2010.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to improve the staffing ratio between prison officers and prisoners; and what the timescale is for increasing the number of prison officers.

Rory Stewart: Prison population statistics and workforce statistics are regularly published. These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-figures-2018. HM Prison and Probation workforce statistics (which contains staffing figures in public sector prisons but not in privately managed prisons) are published quarterly. The latest publication can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-march-2018. Latest staffing figures for privately managed prisons since 2010 were provided in the reply to the Honourable member for Leeds East for PQ 114727. Prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent. We have recruited over 3,000 new prison officers across the country in the last 18 months to improve safety and help turn offenders’ lives around. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose - protecting the public, reducing reoffending and crucially, rehabilitating offenders.

Justice and Security Act 2013

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 135211, whether a person has been appointed to conduct the review of the operation of sections 6 to 11 of the Justice and Security Act 2013; and when that review is scheduled to begin.

Lucy Frazer: As I indicated in my answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 135211, the review should cover the period from 25 June 2013 to 24 June 2018. It will therefore need to take into account the 5th annual report to Parliament on the use of closed material procedure under the Justice and Security Act 2013, which the Government aims to submit in the Autumn. A reviewer has not been appointed yet. Discussions between officials are ongoing and an announcement will be made in due course

Ministry of Justice: Carillion

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many SMEs who were previously sub-contracted by Carillion to provide goods and services on behalf of his Department and its agencies he has met with since that company was liquidated.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of SMEs that were sub-contracted by Carillion to provide goods and services on behalf of his Department and its agencies are now contracted by the Government through Gov Facility Services Limited.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the number of redundancies made by SMEs that were sub-contracted by Carillion to provide services and goods on behalf of his Department and its agencies as a result of the liquidation of that company.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Gov Facility Services Limited is compliant with the Prompt Payment Code.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time was for invoices to be paid by Gov Facility Services Limited in each month since it was established.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice, through Government Facility Services Limited (GFSL), has met with a wide range of suppliers as part of transitioning the HMPPS Facilities Management contracts. The MoJ took the decision early to manage suppliers to mitigate exposure and protect the supply chain, and have looked to support these suppliers wherever possible and have been in regular contact with the supply chain. Given the number of suppliers concerned, the Department doesn’t keep a record of which former Carillion suppliers it has met with. The MoJ is committed to working with SME’s and is already close to achieving the Government 2020 target.   To expedite the creation of GFSL a decision was taken to mobilise the MOJ infrastructure to ensure that at the point of Carillion entering Provisional Liquidation a process was in place to take on this work directly, mitigate continued exposure to the supply chain and ensure continuity of service. GFSL are currently working with the MOJ to review the interim process and move towards a revised operating model. The proposed approach will continue to see a reliance on the private sector and in particular SME providers. The Ministry of Justice is aware of a limited number of redundancies made by SMEs, however it is not able to determine if these directly relate to goods or services provided by Carillion to the Department Government Facility Services Limited (GFSL) is currently being supported by the Ministry of Justice in respect of contracts with the supply chain. Following Carillion entering Provisional Liquidation the majority of purchasing was undertaken via the MoJ to ensure stable supply chain arrangements remained in place. This will move across to GFSL later this year. GFSL intends to pay its suppliers promptly and will take steps to ensure compliance with the Prompt Payment Code.The performance statistics of the MoJ in respect of paying invoices can be found via: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/procurement#our-payment-performance

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Public Appointments

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the appointment of Tim Parker to the post of Chairman of the Board for the HM Courts and Tribunals Service was overseen by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Lucy Frazer: Tim Parker was appointed as HMCTS Board Chairman in April 2018, following an open and transparent recruitment process. The appointment was advertised on the Cabinet Office’s ‘Centre for Public Appointments’ website as well as on the Sunday Times, Exec-Appointments, NED Exchange, NonExecutiveDirectors and Women on Boards websites. A total of 30 applications were considered at the initial sift stage, with a final shortlist of four candidates interviewed by a four-person recruitment panel chaired by the Ministry of Justice Permanent Secretary and also including the President of the Queen’s Bench Division, the HMCTS Chief Executive and an independent member put forward by the Ministry of Justice Public Appointments team. As required under the terms of the HMCTS Framework Document, Tim’s appointment was made by the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals based on a unanimous recommendation made by the panel. The HMCTS Board Chair is not an appointment regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, so this appointment was not overseen by the Commissioner. However, in line with best practice, the principles of the Governance Code on Public Appointments were used to guide the recruitment.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Written Questions

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer Question 145611, tabled on 18 May 2018, by the hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to PQ145611 on 4 June 2018.

Electoral Register

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the implications are for the Government's policies of recommendation 22 of the report of the Association of Electoral Administrators entitled It’s time for urgent and positive Government action: The AEA’s review of the 2017 local government elections and the UK Parliamentary general election, published in September 2017, on the Government undertaking a full and thorough review of the access and supply arrangements that apply to the electoral register and the lists of absent voters which includes consideration of those that relate to candidates, political parties and third parties such as Credit Reference Agencies.

Chloe Smith: The Government has no current plans for a general review of the access and supply arrangements that apply to the electoral register. However, the Government will review existing legislation on access to electoral registers, to ensure that elective representatives or political parties can continue to use the electoral register for the purposes of democratic engagement.

Candidates: Expenditure

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the implications are for the Government's policies of recommendation 26 of the report of the Association of Electoral Administrators entitled It’s time for urgent and positive Government action: The AEA’s review of the 2017 local government elections and the UK Parliamentary general election, published in September 2017, on the Government undertaking a full and thorough review of the processes that deal with the recording of candidates’ expenses including consideration of the return to, and subsequent reporting of, expenses to Returning Officers and the possible provision of online reporting and inspection mechanisms.

Chloe Smith: The development of such a facility would likely incur substantial cost as a online platform would need to be developed, established and maintained. Such a facility would also impact on the work of the Electoral Commission, as the administration and maintenance of the facility would need to be overseen by the Electoral Commission.

Local Government: Elections

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the total cost to local authorities of advertising voter ID changes in the five local authorities which trialled those changes in the 2018 local government elections.

Chloe Smith: The British public deserves to have confidence in our democracy and the Government is committed to making sure that our electoral system is fit for the future. Voter ID was successfully tested at the local elections on 3 May by five local authorities: Bromley, Gosport, Swindon, Watford and Woking. Proxy voters in Peterborough were also required to show ID before they could vote. The overwhelming majority of people cast their vote without a problem. Local authorities were responsible for the delivery of any adverts, literature or paid content relating to the pilots in their respective areas. The additional costs of the voter ID pilots have yet to be collated. Funding for the additional cost of piloting voter ID will be provided by the Cabinet Office. The Electoral Commission is responsible for carrying out an independent, statutory evaluation of the pilot schemes and will publish its findings in the summer of 2018.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Estate: WiFi

Dr David Drew: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans the Commission has to improve the capacity and coverage of WiFi on the Parliamentary Estate.

Tom Brake: Over the last few weeks the Digital Service has been working closely with our 3rd party providers to resolve issues relating to providing consistent connectivity to the internet direct/WMID WiFi services. Monitoring of the WiFi service has confirmed that the solution has stabilised and consistent connections have been achieved. Further WiFi improvement work is planned, working in conjunction with our providers.The Digital Service is delivering a major investment programme for Parliament’s network; this is addressing issues around speed, resilience and most importantly security when accessing internet based services. As part of this programme, improvements to WiFi availability are being rolled out across the estate by installing additional WiFi access points. Members' areas have been prioritised, with some already completed and the rest (mainly Portcullis House and Palace of Westminster) will be completed by the end of June 2018.Further targeted improvements across the estate, forming part of the infrastructure transformation programme, are being scoped including WiFi optimisation and efficiencies. These improvements are scheduled to conclude by February 2019.